Complicaties na marsupialisatie van een arachnoïd diverticulum bij een rottweiler

A young male Rottweiler had neurological signs since birth. The dog had hypermetria on his front limbs, ataxia on his hind limbs and proprioception was reduced on the hind limbs as well. Computer tomographic examination post myelography and MRI scans showed a long dorsal subarachnoidal diverticulum from cranial C2 up to cranial C5, causing compression of the spinal cord, thus explaining the neurological signs. A cervical dorsal laminectomy was performed, followed by durotomy and marsupialization. Postoperative complications led to revision surgery and on top of that, the patient needed five more days of mechanical ventilation. From then on, the dog was able to breathe on his own and his neurological condition improved step by step. He made a full recovery and eleven months after surgery, he was still doing well

Chirurgische behandeling van het discusgeassocieerd Wobblersyndroom door middel van een standaard ventraalslottechniek: een retrospectieve studie van 12 gevallen

There is much controversy about the treatment of disc associated wobbler syndrome. This retrospective study describes the clinical evolution of 12 dogs treated surgically by a standard ventral slot technique. The duration of follow-up ranged from 1 to 59 months. Nine of the 12 dogs clinically recovered. However, 6 of these 9 dogs developed a second episode of clinical signs. Two of these dogs could be further managed by conservative treatment. The 4 other dogs were euthanized. The results of this study are compared to the literature. Special attention is given to inclusion criteria and follow-up data

Discospondylitis bij de hond: een retrospectieve studie van 18 gevallen

In a retrospective study (1997-2007) of 35 patients suspected of discospondylitis (DS), the diagnosis of discospondylitis was confirmed in 18 dogs. The signalment, the appearance and the clinical presentation of the dogs were comparable to those earlier reported in the literature. Radiography was the most important diagnostic technique, but in some cases further diagnostic investigation was necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Blood- and urine culture was important to identify a possible underlying cause. Medical therapy is the treatment of choice. Most of the dogs (76%) recovered very well after treatment. The results confirm that discospondylitis has a rather favorable prognosis when medical therapy is used