Myelo-CT imaging findings in 15 dogs with surgically-treated cervical acute compressive hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion.

Compressive hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE) is a sudden extrusion of hydrated, nondegenerated nucleus pulposus material with well-known characteristic MRI findings. The appearance of compressive HNPE during contrast-enhanced CT has already been described, but never its myelo-CT characteristics. The aim of this retrospective multicenter case series is to describe the myelo-CT findings in 15 dogs with compressive HNPE confirmed with gross surgical findings. A distinctive and consistent myelo-CT appearance of cervical compressive HNPE in dogs that included a focal extradural "seagull"-shaped extradural compression dorsal to the annulus fibrosus combined with a narrowing of the affected intervertebral disc space was found. The extruded material was hypoattenuating in the soft tissue algorithm. Myelo-CT could be a useful diagnostic tool and influence the clinical decision to address cervical compressive HNPE conservatively or surgically when MRI is not available.

Survival Time after Surgical Debulking and Temozolomide Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Canine Intracranial Gliomas.

Intracranial gliomas are associated with a poor prognosis, and the most appropriate treatment is yet to be defined. The objectives of this retrospective study are to report the time to progression and survival times of a group of dogs with histologically confirmed intracranial gliomas treated with surgical debulking and adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy. All cases treated in a single referral veterinary hospital from 2014 to 2021 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria comprised a histopathological diagnosis of intracranial glioma, adjunctive chemotherapy, and follow-up until death. Cases were excluded if the owner declined chemotherapy or there was insufficient follow-up information in the clinical records. Fourteen client-owned dogs were included with a median time to progression (MTP) of 156 days (95% CI 133-320 days) and median survival time (MST) of 240 days (95% CI 149-465 days). Temozolomide was the first-line adjuvant chemotherapy but changed to another chemotherapy agent (lomustine, toceranib phosphate, or melphalan) when tumour relapse was either suspected by clinical signs or confirmed by advanced imaging. Of the fourteen dogs, three underwent two surgical resections and one, three surgeries. Survival times (ST) were 241, 428, and 468 days for three dogs treated twice surgically and 780 days for the dog treated surgically three times. Survival times for dogs operated once was 181 days. One case was euthanized after developing aspiration pneumonia, and all other cases after progression of clinical signs due to suspected or confirmed tumour relapse. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that debulking surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy are well-tolerated options in dogs with intracranial gliomas in which surgery is a possibility and should be considered a potential treatment option. Repeated surgery may be considered for selected cases.

Transthoracic Vertebral Distraction and Stabilization in 10 Dogs with Congenital Thoracic Vertebral Malformations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the surgical technique and outcomes of dogs with congenital thoracic vertebral body malformations (CTVBM) treated with unilateral vertebral distraction and stabilization with monocortical screws and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). STUDY DESIGN: Medical records of 10 client-owned dogs with CTVBM were retrospectively searched for signalment, history, neurological examination, neurological grade based on the modified Frankel scale (MFS), diagnostic method, CTVBM location, Cobb's angle, and vertebral canal angle (VCA), surgical procedure, complications and long-term follow-up. RESULTS: One dog suffered cardiac arrest 24 hours post-surgery and died. Median follow-up in nine dogs was 26.5 months (12-50 months). Cobb's angle improved from 33-83 to 10-46 degrees and the VCA ratio from 97-138 to 122-164 degrees. The MFS improved from 3 (n = 3)-4 (n = 7) to 4 (n = 2)-6 (n = 7). Seven dogs recovered full function. Nine dogs improved after surgery compared with preoperative status, recovering ambulation when lost or achieving normal neurological examination in seven cases. No complications were reported during the follow-up period (12-50 months). CONCLUSION: Unilateral transthoracic vertebral distraction and stabilization with monocortical screws and PMMA for treatment of compressive myelopathy due to CTVBM achieved long-term neurological improvement in 9 of 10 dogs.