title: Thoracic spinal calcinosis circumscripta causing cord compression in two German shepherd dog littermates.
abstract: Two young German shepherd dog littermates had progressive, painless, hindlimb ataxia. In both dogs plain radiography of the vertebral column revealed a solitary mineralised lesion on the dorsal laminae between the dorsal spines of the second and third thoracic vertebrae, and myelography with iopamidol demonstrated cord compression at the level of the lesions. The first dog died 18 hours after the myelography. A dorsal laminectomy performed in the second dog resulted in neurological improvement. A histopathological examination confirmed that both lesions were calcinosis circumscripta. The cause of the death of the first dog was meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Surgery, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Bearsden.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: McEwan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Callanan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D009192:Myelography / Q000662:veterinary; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae