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Assessment of Intramedullary Spinal Pressure in Small Breed Dogs With Thoracolumbar Disk Extrusion Undergoing
Fiammetta L Noussitou1, Daniela Gorgas1, Helene Rohrbach1
1Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Objective:
To assess intramedullary spinal pressure (IMP) in small breed dogs with thoracolumbar disk extrusion.
Study Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Animals:
Small breed dogs (n = 14) with thoracolumbar disk extrusion undergoing hemilaminectomy and healthy chondrodystrophic laboratory dogs (control; n = 3) without spinal disease.
Methods:
Diagnosis was based on clinical and neurological examinations and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and was confirmed intraoperatively. A standardized anesthesia protocol and surgical procedure were used to minimize factors that could influence IMP. Intramedullary pressure was measured through a minidurotomy at the site of spinal cord compression using a fiber optic catheter inserted perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord. Measurements were taken after hemilaminectomy and again after removal of extruded disk material.
Results:
Affected dogs had significantly higher IMP compared to control dogs (P = .008) and IMP decreased significantly post-decompression compared with initial values (P < .001). No correlation was found between IMP and neurologic grade, degree of spinal cord compression on MRI, or signal intensity changes on MRI.
Conclusion:
Acute thoracolumbar disk extrusion is associated with increased IMP in small breed dogs and surgical decompression results in an immediate decrease of IMP.
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