Is leor nod don eolach.
A hint is sufficient for the wise.
Vets Pioneer Back Surgery For Dogs
Science Daily — The veterinary hospital at Oklahoma State
University’s Centre for Veterinary Health Sciences offers
percutaneous laser disc ablation surgery for canines and is the sole
provider worldwide of the treatment option for dogs.
First investigated at OSU’s Veterinary Centre by Drs. George Henry
and Kenneth Bartels, initial studies focused on the effects of laser
treatment on tissues similar to the intervertebral disc material.
The scope of the research was to discover the effects of laser
energy on intervertebral disc material and how the denatured disc
might be kept from extruding or herniating in the future, causing
spinal cord injury. In late 1993, the procedure was used on
clinically affected dogs.
Since, more than 300 cases have been treated at OSU’s Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital with very good results. The procedure is
designed to prevent the recurrence of disc herniation with
subsequent spinal cord damage. The success rate is based on the rate
of recurrence in the treated dogs.
“Our success rate is 96.6 percent,” explains Dr. Robert Bahr. “That
means that out of all the dogs treated since the project began in
1993 (some 325 dogs total), only 9 dogs (3.4 percent) have had
repeat disc herniations.”
The disease can be treated with “sharp” surgical procedures as well.
However, the most commonly performed surgical procedure, known as
disc fenestration, is more complicated and painful for the animal.
Fenestration calls for the veterinarian to surgically open the dog’s
back and isolate the intervertebral discs by dissecting the muscle
away from the vertebrae. Then, using a surgical instrument shaped
like a hook, the disc material is scraped out of its anatomic
location which prevents it from herniating in the future. This is
tremendously painful for the dog because the back muscles are cut,
usually bluntly to lessen bleeding, which causes a great deal of
post-operative pain as well as two to three weeks of post-surgery
rehabilitation.
The laser surgery is done by placing needles through the skin into
the centers of seven different disc locations while the dog is under
general anesthesia. The locations are based on the most common sites
of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease as described in the
veterinary literature. An x-ray is taken to ensure that each needle
tip is precisely in the center of each treated disc. Then a
Holmium:YAG laser fiber is put through the needle, into the center
of the disc, and the laser energy turned on. This laser surgical
treatment liquefies the disc material, and scar tissue forms, which
prevents the disc from herniating and injuring the spinal cord in
the future.
If left untreated, diseased discs can extrude or herniate from their
normal location and put pressure on the spinal cord. This could
eventually lead back pain, other physical limitations such as
permanent abnormal gait, lameness, loss of bowel and bladder control
that can take away from the quality of a pet’s life or, even,
permanent paralysis. The laser disc ablation procedure can prevent
such ailments.
Of the various treatments available, laser disc ablation surgery, an
interventional radiologic procedure, results in a lower rate of
recurrence than the other methods of prevention which have been
tried in the past. The procedure is indicated for dogs that are
experiencing only “back pain.” It is not recommended for dogs with
signs of spinal compression.
Certain breeds of dogs are more likely to require some form of
treatment to prevent future recurrence of degenerative disc disease
with disc herniation. These include Dachshund, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso,
Pomeranian, Miniature Schnauzer, Miniature and Toy Poodle, Yorkshire
Terrier and Cocker Spaniel, among other small breeds of dogs. Large
breed dogs can also be affected, but the disease is slower to
develop and has a somewhat different pathophysiology. In small dogs,
it is more acute and more likely to cause permanent paralysis. In
larger dogs, the disease may cause less severe spinal cord damage
and is less likely to recur.
According to Bahr, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the CVHS
treats two to five disc cases each week and sees patients from
Oklahoma and the surrounding states of the south-central and
mid-west to the east coast of the United States. OSU veterinarians
have also used the procedure to treat patients from as far away as
Idaho and Oregon. The procedure costs approximately $1,500
inclusive. For more information on laser disc ablation surgery,
visit http://www.cvhs.okstate.edu.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by
Oklahoma State University.
