Association of spinal cord compression seen on magnetic resonance imaging with clinical outcome in 67 dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is an association between the degree of transverse spinal cord compression detected by magnetic resonance imaging following thoracolumbar Hansen type 1 intervertebral disc disease in dogs and their presenting and postsurgical neurological status.


METHODS
Medical records of 67 dogs with surgically confirmed Hansen type 1 intervertebral disc disease (2000 to 2004) were reviewed to obtain the rate of onset of disease, duration of clinical signs and presurgical and postsurgical neurological grade. Percentage of spinal cord compression was determined on transverse T2-weighted magnetic resonance images. Linear regression was used to examine the association between spinal cord compression and each of the above variables. Chi-squared tests were used to examine associations among postsurgical outcome and presurgical variables.


RESULTS
Eighty-five per cent (57 of 67) of dogs were chondrodystrophoid. Mean spinal cord compression was 53 per cent (sd=219.7, range 14.3 to 84.9 per cent). There was no association between the degree of spinal cord compression and the neurological grade at presentation, rate of onset of disease, duration of clinical signs or postsurgical outcome, with no difference between chondrodystrophoid and non-chondrodystrophoid dogs.


CONCLUSIONS
The degree of spinal cord compression documented with magnetic resonance imaging in dogs with thoracolumbar Hansen type 1 intervertebral disc disease was not associated with the severity of neurological signs and was not a prognostic indicator in this study.
Penning
V
V
The Royal Veterinary College, The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, North Mymms, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
Platt
S R
SR
Dennis
R
R
Cappello
R
R
Adams
V
V
D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000662:veterinary*; D008499:Medical Records; D010375:Pedigree; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae