ABSTRACT
Clinical outcomes and complications of a technique used for atlantoaxial stabilization were evaluated in a group of 12 dogs. At surgery, the atlantoaxial joint was realigned and rigidly fixated using cortical bone screws, K-wire, and polymethyl methacrylate. Results in nine dogs were graded as excellent. Results in two dogs were judged as good. One dog was euthanized 17 months after surgery for recurrent cervical pain. Eight dogs had no postoperative complications. The surgical technique described provided an adaptable method for the correction of atlantoaxial instability.
Subject(s)
Atlanto-Axial Joint , Dog Diseases/surgery , Joint Instability/veterinary , Methacrylates/therapeutic use , Postoperative Complications/veterinary , Animals , Atlanto-Axial Joint/abnormalities , Atlanto-Axial Joint/injuries , Bone Screws/veterinary , Bone Wires/veterinary , Dogs , Female , Joint Instability/surgery , Male , Orthopedics/methods , Orthopedics/veterinary , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Intervertebral disk extrusions into the spinal cord are rarely reported in veterinary medicine, and only necropsy findings are described in previous reports. It is hypothesized that a disk lesion results in forceful injection of disk material into the spinal cord. In the 3-year-old Miniature Doberman Pinscher of our report, acute clinical signs and results of magnetic resonance imaging were consistent with this disease and helped determine the extent and character of the lesions. Alteration in the appearance of the nucleus pulposus was important in determining that intervertebral disk disease may have been present in this dog. However, a definitive diagnosis of intramedullary disk extrusion can be made only via histologic examination of a biopsy specimen or at necropsy. The dog improved substantially after surgical decompression of the spinal cord, and histologic findings in a biopsy specimen of material found within the spinal cord were consistent with mature degenerate intervertebral disk material.
Subject(s)
Decompression, Surgical/veterinary , Dog Diseases/etiology , Intervertebral Disc Displacement/veterinary , Spinal Cord Diseases/veterinary , Animals , Biopsy/veterinary , Diagnosis, Differential , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dog Diseases/surgery , Dogs , Female , Intervertebral Disc/pathology , Intervertebral Disc Displacement/complications , Intervertebral Disc Displacement/surgery , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/veterinary , Spinal Cord/pathology , Spinal Cord Diseases/etiology , Spinal Cord Diseases/surgery , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
A 9-year-old spayed female Golden Retriever was examined because of progressive hind limb lameness. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic and lumbar portions of the vertebral column revealed a focal, contrast-enhancing, intramedullary spinal cord mass. The history, signalment, and magnetic resonance findings were suggestive of spinal cord neoplasia. A hemilaminectomy, durotomy, and longitudinal myelotomy were performed, and a 1 X 1-cm mass that contained numerous blood vessels was removed with blunt dissection. Results of histologic examination and immunohistochemical staining of the mass suggested that it was a hamartoma. The dog improved after surgery, with no evidence of a recurrence of clinical signs 14 months after surgery. Vascular malformations of the CNS in dogs include hamartomas, hemangiomas, angiomas, hemangioblastomas, meningocerebral hemangiomatosis, and arteriovenous malformations. A hamartoma is a non-neoplastic overgrowth of cells or an improper proportion of cells that are normally in the involved tissue. Although magnetic resonance imaging may be helpful in determining the extent of the lesion in dogs with vascular malforrmations, it cannot be used to distinguish neoplastic from non-neoplastic formations. Excision may result in a good outcome for dogs with an intramedullary spinal cord hamartoma.
