Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chronic neck joint dislocation fixed by ventral surgery
By Buks, Y et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2011·Advanced Vetcare, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ventral fixation of chronic atlanto-occipital luxation in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4.5-year-old male Australian Kelpie was brought in because he was having trouble walking and was in pain in his neck for five weeks. After a CT scan, the vet found that he had a serious neck injury called atlanto-occipital luxation, which means the joint at the base of his skull was unstable. The vet performed surgery to stabilize the joint using screws and a special material, and the dog wore a neck brace for six weeks during recovery. After the treatment, he was doing well and was back to his normal activities on the farm within three months.
People also search for: dog neck pain · Australian Kelpie walking problems · atlanto-occipital luxation treatment
Abstract
A 4·5-year-old male Australian Kelpie was presented for evaluation of ambulatory tetraparesis and neck pain of five weeks duration. Atlanto-occipital luxation was diagnosed by computed tomography. The joint was unstable following closed reduction, and a ventral surgical approach to the cranial cervical spine and occiput permitted manual reduction and stabilisation of the atlanto-occipital joint. The thickened joint capsule and articular cartilage were removed to promote AO arthrodesis. Eight cortical screws, inserted into the occipital condyles and C1, were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate to stabilise the atlanto-occipital articulation. The dog recovered uneventfully after it was placed in a neck brace and rested for six weeks. Neurologic examination at six weeks was normal and the dog returned to normal farm work 12 weeks after surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21824148/