Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog and cat sciatic nerve injuries - causes and signs
By Dell'Apa, Diletta et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Department of Veterinary Science, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Traumatic and iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury in 38 dogs and 10 cats: Clinical and electrodiagnostic findings.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in for difficulty moving its back leg after a traumatic injury. The vet found that the dog had a sciatic nerve injury, which can happen from accidents or even surgeries. Treatment included surgery, and the dog's ability to flex and extend its ankle was a good sign for recovery. Owners reported that even after treatment, their dog had a good quality of life, showing that pets can adapt well even after serious injuries.
People also search for: dog back leg injury treatment · sciatic nerve injury in dogs · dog recovery after surgery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reports describing sciatic nerve injuries (SNI) and their outcome are scarce in veterinary medicine. HYPOTHESIS: Describe the causes of traumatic and iatrogenic SNI and evaluate which clinical and electrodiagnostic findings predict outcome. ANIMALS: Thirty-eight dogs and 10 cats with confirmed SNI referred for neurologic and electrodiagnostic evaluation. METHODS: Clinical and electrodiagnostic examination results, including electromyography (EMG), motor nerve conduction studies, muscle-evoked potential (MEP), F-waves, sensory nerve conduction studies, and cord dorsum potential (CDP), were retrospectively evaluated. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed based on owner interviews. RESULTS: Surgery (42%) and trauma (33%) were the most common causes of SNI; in dogs, 24% were caused by bites from wild boars. Ability to flex and extend the tarsus was significantly associated with positive outcome in dogs. Mean time from onset of clinical signs until electrodiagnostic evaluation was 67 ± 65 (range, 7-300) days and 65 ± 108 (range, 7-365) days for dogs and cats, respectively. A cut-off amplitude of 1.45 mV for compound motor action potentials (CMAP) was predictive of positive outcome in dogs (P = .01), with sensitivity of 58% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Clinical motor function predicts recovery better than sensory function. Electrodiagnostic findings also may play a role in predicting the outcome of SNI. Application of the proposed CMAP cut-off amplitude may assist clinicians in shortening the time to reassessment or for earlier suggestion of salvage procedures. Owners perceived a good quality of life (QoL), even in cases of hindlimb amputation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38634245/