Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Myelography and MRI findings in dogs with acute hydrated disc
By Ros, Carlos et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2017·Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animal, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Myelographic and low-field magnetic resonance imaging findings in dogs with presumptive acute hydrated non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Dachshund was brought in for sudden back pain and difficulty walking. The veterinarian suspected a specific type of disc problem called acute hydrated non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion, which can cause spinal cord compression. They used MRI to confirm the diagnosis and assess the severity of the issue. The dog required surgery to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord, and after the procedure, the dog showed significant improvement in mobility and comfort.
People also search for: dog back pain treatment · Dachshund disc disease symptoms · dog spinal surgery recovery
Abstract
MRI is considered gold standard for the diagnosis of presumptive acute hydrated non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusions (AHNCNPE). This retrospective study describes the myelographic findings in dogs with AHNCNPE diagnosed by low-field MRI and their association with neurological grade, need of surgical decompression and outcome. Forty-two myelographies (21 dogs with presumptive AHNCNPE, 21 dogs with Hansen type I disc disease herniation) were blindly evaluated. Site of herniation, compression pattern, ratio of length of the lesion to length of the second lumbar vertebra (LL:L2) and degree of spinal cord compression (SCC) were measured on the myelographies of dogs with presumptive AHNCNPE and were compared with the corresponding MRI features. Percentage of extruded volume of nucleus pulposus (VNP) was calculated on MR images. Myelographic interobserver agreement for presumptive diagnosis of AHNCNPE was almost perfect (κ=0.8). Accuracy of myelography to detect site of herniation was 80.9 per cent and to identify extradural compression was 57.1 per cent. Mean SCC was 5.8±2.6 per cent for myelography and 6.6±3 per cent for MRI. Mean LL:L2 ratio was 1.7±0.9 for myelography and 1.2±0.8 for MRI. Mean percentage of extruded VNP was 40±14 per cent, and it was positively associated with neurological grade.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29051312/