Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Recovery signs and MRI in paraplegic dogs after disc surgery
By Siedenburg, Johannes S et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging findings in paraplegic dogs with recovery of motor function.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 17 dogs with severe back problems causing paralysis in their hind legs underwent surgery for intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH). After surgery, the dogs were tested using a method called transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials (TMMEP) to assess their recovery. Most dogs showed improvement in their ability to move within a few days, and follow-up tests indicated that the results from TMMEP were linked to how well they could walk later on. This suggests that TMMEP can help predict recovery in dogs after spinal surgery.
People also search for: dog paralysis treatment · intervertebral disc herniation recovery · TMMEP for dogs · dog back surgery outcomes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials (TMMEP) are associated with severity of clinical signs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in dogs with spinal cord disease. HYPOTHESIS: That in initially paraplegic dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH), MRI findings before surgery and TMMEPs obtained after decompressive surgery are associated with long-term neurological status and correlate with each other. ANIMALS: Seventeen client-owned paraplegic dogs with acute thoracolumbar IVDH. METHODS: Prospective observational study. TMMEPs were obtained from pelvic limbs and MRI (3T) of the spinal cord was performed at initial clinical presentation. Follow-up studies were performed ≤ 2 days after reappearance of motor function and 3 months later. Ratios of compression length, intramedullary hyperintensities' length (T2-weighted hyperintensity length ratio [T2WLR]), and lesion extension (T2-weighted-lesion extension ratio) in relation to the length of the 2nd lumbar vertebral body were calculated. RESULTS: TMMEPs could be elicited in 10/17 (59%) dogs at 1st and in 16/17 (94%) dogs at 2nd follow-up. Comparison of TMMEPs of 1st and 2nd follow-up showed significantly increased amplitudes (median from 0.19 to 0.45 mV) and decreased latencies (from 69.38 to 40.26 ms; P = .01 and .001, respectively). At 2nd follow-up latencies were significantly associated with ambulatory status (P = .024). T2WLR obtained before surgery correlated with latencies at 2nd follow-up (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: TMMEP reflect motor function recovery after severe spinal cord injury.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29566440/