title: Aplastic articular facets in a dog with intervertebral disk rupture of the 12th to 13th thoracic vertebral space.
abstract: A 6-year-old, female spayed Pomeranian was presented with acute hind-limb paraplegia with the presence of deep pain perception and urinary incontinence. Myelography showed a Hansen type I herniation of the12th to 13th thoracic intervertebral space (T(12-13)). Articular facets of the T(12-13) and T(13) to first lumbar vertebra (L(1)) were absent. The spinal cord was decompressed using a bilateral T(12-13) modified lateral hemilaminectomy (pediculectomy). The aplastic sites were associated with minimal instability of the vertebral column, and stabilization of the vertebral column was not required. Familiarity with this condition is important, because articular facet aplasia may cause vertebral instability and may require an adjusted surgical approach or vertebral reduction and fusion following decompression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2026, USA.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: W Thomas
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: McNicholas
authors.forename: Jongmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Gert J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Breur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006547:Hernia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D059685:Herniorrhaphy; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D016896:Treatment Outcome