Far lateral lumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in a cat: Case report

A 4-year-old domestic long-haired cat presented with acute, progressive, non-weight-bearing lameness of the left pelvic limb and reluctance to climb. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed decreased T2-weighted signal intensity of the nucleus pulposus in all lumbar intervertebral discs except L7-S1, with far-lateral T2-weighted low-signal material at L6-L7 surrounding the sixth lumbar nerve root. A diagnosis of far-lateral intervertebral disc extrusion at L6-L7 was made. Clinical signs resolved almost completely within 15 days of conservative management. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing MRI findings of far-lateral intervertebral disc extrusion in a cat, highlighting the importance of considering this condition in the differential diagnosis of acute unilateral pelvic limb lameness.