Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fenestration surgery as treatment for dog back disc herniation
By Freeman, P & Jeffery, N D·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2017·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Re-opening the window on fenestration as a treatment for acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with back pain, weakness in the hind legs, and incontinence was diagnosed with a herniated disc in the spine. Treatment options have been debated for years, but new discussions suggest that both surgery and a specific surgical technique called fenestration might work equally well for recovery. While there hasn't been a formal study comparing these treatments, past data indicates that dogs can recover well with either approach. If your dog is showing similar symptoms, it's important to talk to your veterinarian about the best treatment options.
People also search for: dog back pain treatment · dog herniated disc surgery · dog hind leg weakness causes
Abstract
Acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation in dogs is a common cause of "back" pain, pelvic limb paresis or paralysis and incontinence. Treatment of this condition has long been a source of controversy, especially since the introduction of surgical interventions in the 1950s. Unfortunately, formal clinical trials to compare efficacy of conservative and surgical interventions have never been carried out and the current lack of clinical equipoise on this subject now precludes such a trial on ethical grounds. In this article we re-examine and discuss earlier published data on recovery associated with the various therapies, focusing on evidence suggesting that decompressive surgery and fenestration may be equally efficacious.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28276121/