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Relationships between cerebrospinal fluid characteristics, injury severity, and functional outcome in dogs with and without intervertebral disk herniation
Author(s) -
Levine Gwendolyn J.,
Cook Jennifer R.,
Kerwin Sharon C.,
Mankin Joseph,
Griffin John F.,
Fosgate Geoffrey T.,
Levine Jonathan M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
veterinary clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1939-165X
pISSN - 0275-6382
DOI - 10.1111/vcp.12165
Subject(s) - medicine , cerebrospinal fluid , magnetic resonance imaging , hyperintensity , spinal cord , spinal cord injury , etiology , pathology , anesthesia , gastroenterology , surgery , radiology , psychiatry
Background Cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF ) is commonly acquired in dogs with intervertebral disk herniation ( IVDH ) and is a common method to assess inflammatory responses following spinal cord injury ( SCI ). Objectives The purpose of the study was to describe relationships between cisternal CSF characteristics, behavioral measures of SCI , T2‐ weighted (T2W) hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ), and long‐term outcome in dogs with IVDH . Diagnostic accuracy of CSF for differentiating IVDH from other myelopathies was also assessed. Methods The retrospective case series included 727 dogs, 443 with thoracolumbar IVDH , 103 with cervical IVDH , and 181 with other spinal cord diseases. Signalment, initial neurologic function, ambulatory function at long‐term follow‐up, T2W MRI , and CSF variables were recorded for dogs with IVDH . Signalment, etiology, and CSF data were retrieved for dogs with other myelopathies. Associations between CSF predictors, diagnosis, and outcomes were assessed. Results CSF total nucleated cell count ( TNCC ) increased with SCI severity (rho −0.256, P < .001) in dogs with IVDH , TNCC was significantly higher in the presence of T2W hyperintensity ( P = .001) in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDH , but TNCC , RBC count, microprotein, and percent neutrophils decreased with increasing injury duration (rho −0.253, P < .001; rho −0.269, P < .001; rho −0.141, P = .004, and rho −0.356, P < .001, respectively). CSF characteristics were not accurate for differentiating IVDH from other spinal cord diseases. Conclusions In dogs with IVDH , CSF TNCC , RBC count, microprotein, and percent neutrophils are correlated with clinical aspects of SCI such as injury severity and duration, but cannot differentiate IVDH from other etiologies.