Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical decompression for traumatic atlantoaxial subluxation in a weanling filly.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1979
- Authors:
- Slone, D E et al.
Plain-English summary
A young female horse, known as a filly, was having trouble with coordination and was holding her neck stiffly. After some X-rays, the vets found that she had a condition called atlantoaxial subluxation, which means the first two bones in her neck were not aligned properly. They performed a surgery to relieve pressure on her spinal cord, but they did not try to stabilize the bones. Although she showed some positive signs right after the surgery, sadly, she passed away soon after, so they couldn't assess how well the treatment worked in the long term.
Abstract
A filly with ataxia and splinting and crepitation in the neck was found to have atlantoaxial subluxation. Radiographic diagnosis was based on the same criteria as those used in other species, ie, increased distance between the atlas and spine of the axis and increased distance between the dens and floor of the atlas. Extensive hemilaminectomy was performed to decompress the spinal cord. Stabilization was not attempted. Immediate postoperative response was encouraging, but the untimely death of the filly prevented further evaluation of the procedure.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/438054/