Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thoracic X-rays rarely change anesthesia plans for dogs
By Takedai, Teiko et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2024·Surgery Department, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Results of routine thoracic radiographic examinations rarely impact the plan to proceed with anesthetic procedures in dogs with presumed acute intervertebral disc herniation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador was brought in for sudden back pain and inability to walk, suspected to have a herniated disc in the spine. Before surgery, the vet performed routine chest X-rays to check for any other issues that could complicate anesthesia. However, these X-rays only changed the treatment plan for 2 out of 105 dogs, suggesting they rarely impact decisions for this emergency condition. The study found that older dogs, particularly those over 12 years, were more likely to show issues on X-rays, but overall, the routine use of these X-rays may not be necessary for younger dogs with this condition.
People also search for: dog back pain · Labrador herniated disc treatment · chest X-ray before dog surgery
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) constitutes an emergency because associated neurological clinical signs can be progressive, with prognosis dependent on preoperative presence of deep pain perception. Pre-anesthetic thoracic radiographs are routinely performed to evaluate for potential pathology that could result in increased risk or change in overall prognosis. However, due to the emergent nature of this disease, the weight of thoracic radiographic findings on treatment plans for these dogs in unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical benefit of thoracic radiographs prior to advanced spinal imaging and surgery for acute non-ambulatory dogs with suspected T3-L3 myelopathy. METHODS: Consecutive dogs presented with presumed acute IVDH between July 2020-July 2022 were identified, and medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Age, body weight, and alteration of treatment plan were compared between the dogs with positive thoracic pathology identified on thoracic radiographs and those with negative thoracic pathology. RESULTS: Only 2/105 dogs had their diagnostic and treatment plans changed due to thoracic radiographic findings. Dogs with radiographic pathology diagnosed (2/16) were more likely to have their treatment plans changed than dogs with no radiographic pathology (0/89) ( = 0.014). The odds of radiographic thoracic pathology were 4.6 times higher in dogs aged 12 years or older [OR 4.6 (95%CI 1.2-17, = 0.026]. DISCUSSION: Performing routine thoracic radiography prior to advanced (anesthetized) diagnostic spinal imaging in presumed IVDH cases rarely resulted in a change to the treatment plan, thought eh practice may be clinically relevant in dogs 12 years of age or older.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38650854/