Laser-Doppler measurements of spinal cord blood flow changes during hemilaminectomy in chondrodystrophic dogs with disk extrusion.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To assess spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) during surgical treatment of disk extrusion in dogs and (2) to investigate associations between SCBF, clinical signs, presurgical MRI images, and 24-hour surgical outcome.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Chondrodystrophic dogs with thoracolumbar disk extrusion (n=12).


METHODS
Diagnosis was based on clinical signs and MRI findings, and confirmed at surgery. Regional SCBF was measured intraoperatively by laser-Doppler flowmetry before, immediately after surgical spinal cord decompression, and after 15 minutes of lavaging the lesion. Care was taken to ensure a standardized surgical procedure to minimize factors that could influence measurement readings.


RESULTS
A significant increase in intraoperative SCBF was found in all dogs (Wilcoxon's signed-rank test; P=.05) immediately after spinal cord decompression and after 15 minutes. Changes in SCBF were not associated with duration of clinical signs; initial or 24-hour neurologic status; or degree of spinal cord compression assessed by MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
SCBF increases immediately after spinal cord decompression in dogs with disk herniation; however, increased SCBF was not associated with a diminished 24-hour neurologic status.


CONCLUSIONS
An increase in SCBF does not appear to be either associated with the degree of spinal cord compression or of a magnitude sufficient to outweigh the benefit of surgical decompression by resulting in clinically relevant changes in 24-hour outcome.
Malik
Yasminda
Y
Department Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Spreng
David
D
Konar
Martin
M
Doherr
Marcus G
MG
Jaggy
Andre
A
Howard
Judith
J
Forterre
Franck
F
D000818:Animals; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply*