Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Follow-up MRI results in dogs treated for discospondylitis
By de Freitas, Maria Ines et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·Dick White Referrals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective Preliminary Assessment of Routine Follow-Up Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Dogs Presumptively Diagnosed With Discospondylitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 25 dogs treated for discospondylitis (a spinal infection) underwent follow-up MRI scans to see if their symptoms matched the MRI findings. At the time of the second MRI, 16 dogs showed no symptoms, while 9 were still symptomatic. The results showed that most dogs had signs of active discospondylitis on the MRI, regardless of whether they were showing symptoms or not. This means that the MRI results did not reliably indicate whether the dogs were feeling better or still had issues.
People also search for: dog discospondylitis symptoms · MRI for dog spine infection · treatment for dog spinal problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The usefulness of routine follow-up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-2) in asymptomatic dogs treated for discospondylitis is unknown. METHODS: This cross-sectional retrospective study investigated the features of MRI-2 in a heterogeneous group of dogs treated for discospondylitis, and if these were associated with the presence or absence of clinical signs. After comparing initial MRI (MRI-1) and MRI-2, an observer, blinded to the dog's clinical signs, described the MRI-2 findings. The study population was then divided into symptomatic or asymptomatic at the time of MRI-2. Two separate observers subjectively classified the discospondylitis as active or inactive. Repeatability and interobserver agreement were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 25 dogs were included. At the time of MRI-2 16 (64%) dogs were asymptomatic and 9 (36%) were symptomatic. Based on MRI-2, 20 (80%) and 18 (72%) out of 25 dogs were considered to have active discospondylitis by the first and second observers, respectively. Interobserver agreement was moderate. No MRI-2 features were associated with the clinical status. The subjective classification of inactive discospondylitis was significantly associated with asymptomatic clinical status, but the classification of active discospondylitis was evenly distributed between groups. CONCLUSION: This study did not identify a meaningful association between the clinical status of dogs treated for presumptive discospondylitis and MRI-2 results. There were no specific MRI-2 features which were associated with the clinical status.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35664850/