Post mortem evaluation of spinal cord and protruded intervertebral discs in dogs without neurological abnormalities

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to verify the presence of protrusion of the intervertebral disc (IVD) causing compression of the spinal cord and/or roots of cauda equina in 30 dogs above seven years of age with no evidence of previous neurological abnormalities. After the occurrence of death or euthanasia, a laminectomy was performed from C2 to the sacral vertebra to verify the presence of IVD protrusions. The protruded IVD were macroscopically graded according to the Thompson scale, and the corresponding spinal cord segment was histologically analyzed for nervous tissue compression. Of the 30 dogs, twelve (40%) presented disc protrusion, and of these 12 dogs, seven (58%) presented more than one protruded disc. Disc protrusion was observed in 3.2% (25/780) of all IVD evaluated. Of the six chondrodystrophic dogs, five (83%) presented disc protrusion. Of the 24 nonchondrodystrophic dogs, seven (29%) presented IVD protrusion. The site that showed the highest frequency of protrusion was L4-L5 (6/25) followed by the L6-L7 region (3/25) and C6-C7 (3/25). Only two of the medullary segments evaluated showed histological changes, with presence of focal lymphocytic infiltration and multifocal mild hemorrhage in the gray matter. Under the conditions of this study, 40% of dogs older than seven years old showed IVD protrusions without showing neurological signs, with no abnormality of the nervous tissue in 92% of the evaluated segments. Thus, the protrusion of the IVD in some dogs, can only be a finding of no clinical relevance.

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Cranial thoracic vertebral canal stenosis in three juvenile large-breed brachycephalic dogs treated by unilateral hemilaminectomy

Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology ◽

10.3415/vcot-16-10-0147 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (03) ◽

pp. 223-229 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrew Marchevsky ◽

Amanda Miller

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Surgical Treatment ◽

Case Series ◽

Neurological Status ◽

Cord Compression ◽

Vertebral Canal ◽

Neurological Signs ◽

Canal Stenosis ◽

Spinal Cord Segment ◽

Independent Ambulation

SummaryObjective: To describe the surgical treatment and outcome for juvenile dogs with cranial thoracic vertebral canal stenosis treated by unilateral hemilaminectomy.Study design: Case series.Animals: Three large-breed brachycephalic dogs of various breeds (Dogue de Bordeaux, Australian Bulldog, Boerboel) with neurological signs consistent with a myelopathy of the third thoracic (T) to third lumbar (L) spinal cord segment.Methods: Information on clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging, surgical procedures, postoperative complications, recovery and outcome is described.Results: Neurological signs were present and progressive for two to four weeks prior to surgery and ranged from mild ataxia to paralysis. Cranial thoracic vertebral canal stenosis was diagnosed with computed tomography imaging. Lateral and dorsolateral spinal cord compression was present at multiple sites between T2 and T6. Alternating left and right-sided compressions were common. Surgical treatment was by unilateral, continuous hemilaminectomy over three to six vertebral spaces. Postoperative morbidity was minimal and return of independent ambulation was rapid (median: 13.5 days, range: 2–29 days). Neurological status in one dog worsened four months after surgery due to reoccurrence of osseous compression; unilateral hemilaminectomy was repeated in this dog. Long-term follow-up ranged from six to 10 months; neurological signs had completely resolved in one dog and substantially improved in the other two dogs.Clinical significance: Unilateral hemilaminectomy was associated with rapid return of independent ambulation and substantial improvement in neurological scores.

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Neurological disorder in two moose calves ( Alces alces L.) naturally infected with Elaphostrongylus alces

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.10.3.887 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 399 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Margareta Steen ◽

Lars Roepstorff

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Neurological Disorder ◽

Alces Alces ◽

Cauda Equina ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Inflammatory Cells ◽

Nerve Roots ◽

Neurological Signs ◽

Inflammatory Processes ◽

Eggs And Larvae

Two months old moose calves exhibiting neurological signs were videotaped, killed and necropsied. The parasite Elaphostrongylus alces (Steen et al 1989) was found epidurally along the meninges of the spinal cord, and in the muscle faciae of the thoracic and lumbar regions. Progressive inflammatory processes were present in the epineurium, perineurium and endoneurium. Accumulations of inflammatory cells, eosinophils, lymfocytes and macrophages, were found around eggs and larvae and frequently, around regional blood wessels. The neurological disturbances in the moose calves were pronounced, with locomotive abnormalities and ataxia. They showed weakness in the hindquarters, with uncoordinated and swaying movements of the hind legs. In addition, one of the calves was lame on the left forelimb. The muscles of the leg were visibly atrophic. The lesions produced by E. alces at the lumbar nerve roots and in the cauda equina are suggested to be the cause of the clinical signs observed.

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A case report of secondary neurolymphomatosis showing selective nerve infiltration and massive lumbar plexus enlargement

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-021-02330-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mai Hamaguchi ◽

Norito Kokubun ◽

Hadzki Matsuda ◽

Hiroki Onuma ◽

Reika Aoki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Nervous System ◽

B Cell ◽

Malignant Lymphoma ◽

Nervous Tissue ◽

Cauda Equina ◽

B Cell Lymphoma ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Lumbar Plexus ◽

Autopsy Study

Abstract Background Neurolymphomatosis (NL) is a rare manifestation of malignant lymphoma that shows selective infiltration to the peripheral nervous system primarily or secondarily. We report a patient with secondary NL caused by germinal center B-cell (GCB)-type diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who showed selective infiltration of the lumbar plexus to the spinal cord and massive nerve enlargement resulting in severe pain. Case presentation A 72-year-old female exhibited asymmetric motor and sensory impairments and pain in the lower limbs that progressed for five months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an enlarged lumbar plexus, which continued to the cauda equina via the L3 and L4 spinal nerves. Her symptoms gradually worsened. Ten months after the onset of symptoms, the enlarged cauda equina filled the spinal canal space, and the spinal cord was swollen. A cauda equina biopsy was performed, and she was diagnosed with GCB-type DLBCL with CD10 positivity. The primary tumor was found in a mammary cyst. The autopsy study did not show apparent infiltration, except in the nervous system. Conclusions Although there are many neurologic phenotypes of malignant lymphoma, the association between the cytological characteristics of lymphoma and the neurological phenotypes is still unclear. Several reports of CD10-positive secondary NL are available, whereas peripheral or central nervous tissue origin lymphoma cases are mostly negative for CD10. CD10 staining may be useful for distinguishing primary NL from secondary NL. NL often has a strong organotropism for peripheral nervous tissue, which makes early diagnosis challenging.

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The Symptomatic Incompetent Cervical Intervertebral Disc

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1227/00006123-198908000-00013 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 232-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

John Vassilouthis ◽

Angelos Kalovithouris ◽

Athinodoros Papandreou ◽

Stergios Tegos

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Intervertebral Disc ◽

Spinal Canal ◽

Positive Contrast ◽

Intervertebral Discs ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Complete Relief ◽

Surgical Removal ◽

Nerve Roots ◽

Disc Protrusion

Abstract A series of 16 patients with symptoms such as pain in the neck, occiput, shoulder and arm; numbness in the hands: and/or difficulty in walking, is described. Neurological examination of the upper extremities disclosed signs of nerve roots dysfunction in 5 patients and long tract signs in 12, whereas examination of the lower extremities disclosed long tract signs in every patient. Positive contrast cervical myelograms suggested mild posterior bulging of one or two intervertebral discs in every patient, but computed tomographic myelograms invariably demonstrated a coincident narrow cervical spinal canal, thus revealing the true compressive potential of the aforementioned mild disc protrusion on the spinal cord. All patients underwent anterior cervical microdiscectomy of the offending disc or discs, which were found to be degenerated. No case of frank rupture of the anulus was identified. Response to treatment was graded as excellent in 12 patients, who had complete relief of symptoms, and good in 4 patients, who had mild residual complaints. This study suggests that incompetence (bulging) of a cervical intervertebral disc may acquire important clinical significance in the presence of a narrow spinal canal by compressing the spinal cord and the corresponding nerve roots. Surgical removal of the diseased disc may result in restoration of neurological function.

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Juvenile Intervertebral Disc Calcification: Recognition, Management, and Pathogenesis

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1227/00006123-199101000-00018 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 130-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Mark S. Dias ◽

Dachling Pang

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Response ◽

Neck Pain ◽

Intervertebral Disc ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Intervertebral Discs ◽

Disc Protrusion ◽

Intervertebral Disc Calcification ◽

Neurological Signs ◽

Erythrocyte Sedimentation ◽

Compressive Myelopathy

Abstract Juvenile intervertebral disc calcification is an uncommon disorder of childhood, characterized by calcification of the nucleus pulposus of one or more intervertebral discs. Calcification may remain dormant or subsequently become symptomatic. The symptoms include fever, malaise, and neck pain and are associated with an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and, occasionally, leukocytosis. Although disc protrusion occurs in 38% of patients, neurological signs are distinctly uncommon. We report the case of a patient with a herniated T2-T3 calcified intervertebral disc and compressive myelopathy. Juvenile intervertebral disc calcification is generally a self-limiting disease that seldom requires an operation. The symptoms are transient, and resorption of the disc calcification is the rule once symptoms occur. Neither the cause of the disc calcification nor the trigger for the onset of symptoms is known. An inflammatory response within the disc appears to give rise to clinical symptoms and is associated with eventual resorption of the disc calcification.

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Changes of Dorsal Root Ganglion Volume in Dogs with Clinical Signs of Degenerative Myelopathy Detected by Water-Excitation Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11061702 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1702

Author(s):

Eiji Naito ◽

Kohei Nakata ◽

Yukiko Nakano ◽

Yuta Nozue ◽

Shintaro Kimura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Spinal Cord ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Intervertebral Disc Herniation ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Diagnostic Potential ◽

Water Excitation ◽

Spinal Cord Segment ◽

Degenerative Myelopathy

Canine degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease. However, a definitive diagnosis of DM can only be achieved by postmortem histopathological examination of the spinal cord. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the volumetry of DRG using the ability of water-excitation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize the DRG in dogs has premortem diagnostic value for DM. Eight dogs with DM, twenty-four dogs with intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH), and eight control dogs were scanned using a 3.0-tesla MRI system, and water-excitation images were obtained to visualize and measure the volume of DRG, normalized by body surface area. The normalized mean DRG volume between each spinal cord segment and mean volume of all DRG between T8 and L2 in the DM group was significantly lower than that in the control and the IVDH groups (P = 0.011, P = 0.002, respectively). There were no correlations within the normalized mean DRG volume between DM stage 1 and stage 4 (rs = 0.312, P = 0.128, respectively). In conclusion, DRG volumetry by the water-excitation MRI provides a non-invasive and quantitative assessment of neurodegeneration in DRG and may have diagnostic potential for DM.

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The Histopathology of Severe Graded Compression in Lower Thoracic Spinal Cord Segment of Rat, Evaluated at Late Post-injury Phase

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology ◽

10.1007/s10571-021-01139-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fedorova Jana ◽

Kellerova Erika ◽

Bimbova Katarina ◽

Pavel Jaroslav

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Spontaneous Recovery ◽

Traumatic Injury ◽

Blue Dye ◽

Post Injury ◽

Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽

Thoracic Spinal ◽

Severe Traumatic Injury ◽

Spinal Cord Segment ◽

Cord Injury

AbstractSpontaneous recovery of lost motor functions is relative fast in rodent models after inducing a very mild/moderate spinal cord injury (SCI), and this may complicate a reliable evaluation of the effectiveness of potential therapy. Therefore, a severe graded (30 g, 40 g and 50 g) weight-compression SCI at the Th9 spinal segment, involving an acute mechanical impact followed by 15 min of persistent compression, was studied in adult female Wistar rats. Functional parameters, such as spontaneous recovery of motor hind limb and bladder emptying function, and the presence of hematuria were evaluated within 28 days of the post-traumatic period. The disruption of the blood-spinal cord barrier, measured by extravasated Evans Blue dye, was examined 24 h after the SCI, when maximum permeability occurs. At the end of the survival period, the degradation of gray and white matter associated with the formation of cystic cavities, and quantitative changes of glial structural proteins, such as GFAP, and integral components of axonal architecture, such as neurofilaments and myelin basic protein, were evaluated in the lesioned area of the spinal cord. Based on these functional and histological parameters, and taking the animal’s welfare into account, the 40 g weight can be considered as an upper limit for severe traumatic injury in this compression model.

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THE PATHOLOGIC EFFECTS OF STREPTOCOCCI FROM CASES OF POLIOMYELITIS AND OTHER SOURCES

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.25.4.557 ◽

1917 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 557-580 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Carroll G. Bull

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Guinea Pigs ◽

The Other ◽

Laboratory Animals ◽

Histological Changes ◽

Other Hand ◽

Brain And Spinal Cord ◽

The Brain

Streptococci cultivated from the tonsils of thirty-two cases of poliomyelitis were used to inoculate various laboratory animals. In no case was a condition induced resembling poliomyelitis clinically or pathologically in guinea pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, or monkeys. On the other hand, a considerable percentage of the rabbits and a smaller percentage of some of the other animals developed lesions due to streptococci. These lesions consisted of meningitis, meningo-encephalitis, abscess of the brain, arthritis, tenosynovitis, myositis, abscess of the kidney, endocarditis, pericarditis, and neuritis. No distinction in the character or frequency of the lesions could be determined between the streptococci derived from poliomyelitic patients and from other sources. Streptococci isolated from the poliomyelitic brain and spinal cord of monkeys which succumbed to inoculation with the filtered virus failed to induce in monkeys any paralysis or the characteristic histological changes of poliomyelitis. These streptococci are regarded as secondary bacterial invaders of the nervous organs. Monkeys which have recovered from infection with streptococci derived from cases of poliomyelitis are not protected from infection with the filtered virus, and their blood does not neutralize the filtered virus in vitro. We have failed to detect any etiologic or pathologic relationship between streptococci and epidemic poliomyelitis in man or true experimental poliomyelitis in the monkey.

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Penile Erection in Men with Spinal Cord or Cauda Equina Lesions

Seminars in Neurology ◽

10.1055/s-2008-1041162 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 12 (02) ◽

pp. 98-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Fin Biering-Sørensen ◽

Jens Sønksen

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Penile Erection ◽

Cauda Equina

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Transfer of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats using supernates of incubated sensitized lymph node cells.

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.145.5.1405 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 145 (5) ◽

pp. 1405-1410 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

C C Whitacre ◽

P Y Paterson

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Guinea Pig ◽

Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis ◽

Nervous Tissue ◽

Allergic Encephalomyelitis ◽

Lewis Rats ◽

Transfer Activity ◽

Lymph Node Cells ◽

Experimental Allergic

Supernates derived from incubated lymph node cells of Lewis rats sensitized to guinea pig spinal cord-Freund's adjuvant transfer experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) to syngeneic recipients. EAE supernatant transfer activity (EAE-STA) is not demonstrable in supernates derived from LNC of control donors not sensitized to nervous tissue. After addition of brain antigen to active supernates, EAE-STA is not longer demonstrable.

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