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Evaluation of Fenestration for Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease in the Caudal Cervical Region of Large Dogs
Author(s) -
LINCOLN JAMES D.,
PETTIT GHERY D.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
veterinary surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1532-950X
pISSN - 0161-3499
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1985.tb00873.x
Subject(s) - medicine , fenestration , spinal canal stenosis , spinal cord compression , nerve root , surgery , degenerative disc disease , neck pain , disc protrusion , intervertebral disc , foramen , spinal stenosis , stenosis , spinal canal , anatomy , spinal cord , radiology , pathology , alternative medicine , psychiatry , lumbar
Seventeen large dogs (15 Doberman pinschers, one Labrador retriever, and one German short‐haired pointer) with pain and gait abnormalities resulting from caudal cervical intervertebral disc degeneration were treated by disc fenestration. Four dogs recovered completely, two dogs appeared to have recovered but nerve root compression and pain returned 3 years later, five did not recover completely or did not improve, and six became progressively worse. In the dogs that recovered, preoperative myelograms showed that traction on or flexing the neck relieved the spinal cord compression. Such manipulation did not relieve slight persistent compression in the dogs that did not improve nor did it relieve severe compression by disc herniation or spinal canal stenosis in the dogs that became progressively worse. The return of nerve root compression after 3 years in two dogs was attributed to incomplete removal of dorsal anulus fibrosus. It was concluded that disc fenestration alone provided inadequate treatment of caudal cervical degenerative disc disease in large dogs.