Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Recovery chances after spinal bleeding in paraplegic medium-large dogs
By Woelfel, Christian W et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2021·North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Outcomes and prognostic indicators in 59 paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with extensive epidural hemorrhage secondary to thoracolumbar disc extrusion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Labrador mix was brought in for sudden paralysis in the back legs after experiencing a herniated disc. The dog underwent surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, and the vet noted that dogs with pain perception before surgery had a better chance of walking again. In this case, 77% of dogs that could feel pain regained their ability to walk after six months, while only 38% of those without pain perception did. However, complications were common after surgery, so careful monitoring is essential.
People also search for: dog back leg paralysis · Labrador disc herniation surgery · dog recovery from spinal surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes and prognostic factors after decompressive hemilaminectomy in paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with extensive epidural hemorrhage (DEEH) and thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion (TL-IVDE). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort, descriptive study. ANIMALS: Fifty-nine client-owned dogs. METHODS: Medical records and advanced imaging were reviewed for paraplegic dogs with DEEH. Ambulatory status 6 months after surgery and postoperative complications were recorded. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed to explore prognostic factors. RESULTS: Records of 22 dogs with and 37 dogs without pelvic limb pain perception at presentation were included. Median age of dogs was 5 years (interquartile range, 4-7), and mean weight was 26.9 kg (SD, ±9.71). Labradors and Labrador mixes were most common (17/59 [28.8%]). Recovery of ambulation occurred in 17 of 22 (77.3%) dogs with and in 14 of 37 (37.8%) dogs without pain perception prior to surgery. Progressive myelomalacia was recorded in three of 59 (5.1%) dogs, one with pain perception and two without pain perception at presentation. Postoperative complications (14/59 [23.7%]) were common. Factors independently associated with outcome included clinical severity (odds ratio [OR] 0.179, P = .005), number of vertebrae with signal interruption in half Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo sequences (HASTEi; OR, 0.738; P = .035), and ratio of vertebral sites decompressed to HASTEi (OR, 53.79; P = .03). CONCLUSION: Paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with DEEH have a less favorable outcome after surgical decompression than paraplegic dogs with TL-IVDE. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Dogs with DEEH can have severe postoperative complications. Loss of pain perception and increased HASTEi are associated with a poor outcome, while more extensive decompression improves outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33606895/