Development of Sciatic Neuropraxia following Abdominal Surgery in 3 Giant Breed Dogs

This report describes the clinical course of three giant breed dogs (2 Great Danes and 1 Saint Bernard) that developed sciatic neuropraxia following successful surgical management of gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV). All three patients received physical rehabilitation with varying degrees of success. Two patients died of unrelated causes within a year of their initial presentation. The third case recovered nerve function and is alive with minimal neurologic deficits at the time of publication. This paper is aimed at positing potential causes for this complication and highlighting the importance of proper management of giant-breed dogs during hospitalization. Special attention should be given in regards to intraoperative positioning and postoperative care including frequent walks or changes in positioning, deep kennel bedding, and physical therapy.

P.127 Preventing C5 palsy after cervical decompression by nerve root untethering and intraforaminal ligament release

Background: Postoperative C5 palsy (C5P) is a common complication after cervical decompression, potentially related to nerve root tethering. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this hypothesis by comparing C5/C6 root translation and tension before and after root untethering by cutting cervical intraforaminal ligaments (IFL). Methods: Six cadaveric dissections were performed. Nerve roots were exposed and translation and tension measured after the roots and spinal-cord were dorsally displaced 5mm before and after IFL cutting. These were also measured during shoulder depression to simulate intraoperative positioning. Clinical feasibility of IFL release was examined by comparing standard and extended foraminotomies to compare resultant root translation. Results: IFL-cutting increased translation at both C5/C6 roots (P=0.001). There was no difference between root levels (P=0.33). IFL-cutting increased translation upon shoulder depression at both C5/C6 roots (P=0.003) with a difference also being found between root levels (P=0.02). An extended cervical foraminotomy was technically feasible which enabled complete IFL release and root untethering, whereas a standard foraminotomy did not. Conclusions: IFL-cutting increases root translation, suggesting they are either protective (preventing peripheral nerve strain from being transmitted to the spinal-cord) or harmful (by tethering intraforaminal nerve roots and potentially contributing to postoperative C5P) depending on the clinical context.

Effect of intraoperative positioning on the diameter of the vertebral canal in cats during perineal urethrostomy (cadaveric study)

Objectives The objective of this study was to quantify the changes in the diameter of the vertebral canal in the lumbosacral and sacrococcygeal column (L6–Co2) in cats in dorsal and ventral recumbency, simulating real body positioning during a perineal urethrostomy. Methods Twenty-one male feline cadavers were enrolled in the study. All feline cadavers were evaluated by CT. Examinations were performed with the cadaver in a neutral position and dorsal and ventral recumbency. Sagittal vertebral canal diameters (VCDs) were obtained by measuring the distance between the ventral and dorsal aspects of the vertebral canal in the middle of the intervertebral space. Results A comparison of the VCDs between L6 and L7, L7 and S1, S3 and Co1 and Co1 and Co2 in neutral position vs dorsal recumbency revealed a reduction of 0.27 mm (14.6%; P <0.001) between S3 and Co1 and 0.26 mm (18.1%; P <0.001) between Co1 and Co2. No differences were seen when comparing L6–L7 and L7–S1. The VCDs were decreased in all segments when comparing neutral with ventral recumbency. This study revealed a reduction of 0.13 mm between L6 and L7 (3.3%; P = 0.003), 0.14 mm between L7 and S1 (4.1%; P = 0.003), 0.61 mm between S3 and Co1 (32.5%; P <0.001) and 0.63 mm between Co1 and Co2 (44.1%; P <0.001). Comparison of the VCD between dorsal and ventral recumbency in L6–L7, L7–S1, S3–Co1 and Co1–Co2 revealed a decrease in the VCDs in ventral recumbency of 0.13 mm (3.3%; P <0.001), 0.12 mm (3.6%; P <0.001), 0.34 mm (21.0%; P <0.001) and 0.37 mm (31.7%; P <0.001), respectively. Conclusions and relevance The results provide evidence that, from an anatomical point of view, perineal urethrostomy performed in dorsal recumbency is superior to ventral recumbency, but further clinical studies to verify these findings are necessary.