Vertebral vascular canal dysplasia in French and English Bulldogs: Clinical, CT, and MRI characteristics and prevalence

Santifort, Koen M.; Quintana, R. Gutierrez; Bernardini, Marco; Kortz, Gregg D.; Gomes, Sergio A.; Lowrie, Mark; Decker, Steven De; Glass, Eric N.; Bergknut, Niklas

doi:10.1111/vru.13067

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Computed tomography studies on the canine venous plexus in the thoracolumbar region revealed that the internal vertebral venous plexus was found to occupy the largest cross-sectional area relative to the vertebral canal cranially to the L1 vertebra ( 29 , 30 ). French bulldogs are known for their marked variation from general anatomy such as vertebral malformation or vertebral body vascular dysplasia ( 14 , 31 ). Vertebral body vascular dysplasia was not observed in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, surgical features and comparison of surgically treated intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Albertini,

Stabile,

Marsh

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Intervertebral disc (IVD) extrusion (IVDE) is the most reported neurological condition in French bulldogs (FBD). The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate neurological grade, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), surgical findings and short-term recovery in surgically treated FBD diagnosed with IVDE referred to a single institution between January 2020 and March 2022 and to compare cervical and thoracolumbar IVDE. Data was gathered from medical records and analysed via Fischer’s Exact-Test and Kruskal Wallis-tests. Statistical significance was assumed when p < 0.05. Thirty-nine FBD were diagnosed with IVDE. Cervical IVDE (C-IVDE) was diagnosed in 11/39 cases; the C3-C4 IVD space was the most commonly affected site (5/11). Thoracolumbar IVDE (TL-IVDE) was diagnosed in 28 cases; the L3-L4 IVD space was the most commonly affected site (7/28). At admission, C-IVDE was significantly associated with less severe neurological grade (grade 1–2) compared to TL-IVDE (grade 2–5) (p < 0.001). The extruded IVD material (EIVDM) was hypointense in T2w images in 11/11C-IVDE vs. 2/28TL-IVDE, and hypointense in T1w images in 10/11C-IVDE vs. 1/28TL-IVDE. The EIVDM was hyperintense in T2w images in 0/11C-IVDE vs. 26/28TL-IVDE and iso-to-hypointense in T1w images in 1/11C-IVDE vs. 27/28TL-IVDE (p < 0,001). The EIVDM extended over ≥2 IVD spaces in 0/11C-IVDE vs. 19/28TL-IVDE (p < 0,001). 10/11C-IVDE underwent single ventral slot, 1/11C-IVDE underwent unilateral cervical hemilaminectomy. All TL-IVDE underwent unilateral hemilaminectomy and 19/28TL-IVDE underwent unilateral hemilaminectomy over ≥2 IVD spaces (p < 0,001). Haemorrhagic EIVDM was noticed intraoperatively in 1/11C-IVDE vs. 28/28TL-IVDE (p < 0,001). Spinal cord compression was mild in 2/11C-IVDE and 3/28TL-IVDE; moderate in 9/11C-IVDE and 16/28TL-IVDE; severe in 0/11C-IVDE and 8/28TL-IVDE. There was no spinal cord compression in 1/28TL-IVDE with foraminal IVDE. There was no statistical difference between spinal cord compression and IVDE location (p = 0.112). The mean time to improvement was 1.1 day in C-IVDE (range 1–2 days). 90.1% of C-IVDE improved within the first 24 h. The mean time to improvement was 2.1 days in TL-IVDE (range from 1 day to 4 days). All dogs that did not improve (5/39) were grade 5 TL-IVDEs at presentation. In FBD, TL-IVDE tended to cause higher grade of neurological dysfunction, tended to result in compression of neural structures over multiple IVD spaces and required more extensive surgical treatment than C-IVDE.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, surgical features and comparison of surgically treated intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Albertini,

Stabile,

Marsh

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…Potentially a specific phenotype predisposes the pug for both these debilitating conditions and that breed-related characteristics cause health problems not previously associated with the brachycephalic syndrome ). It has recently been suggested that a broader definition, or term, of 'the brachycephalic syndrome' is warranted to incorporate the prevalence of all reported vertebral and cranial abnormalities in these types of breeds (Santifort et al 2022).…”

Section: Associated Conditions Of Abnormal Gaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of a myelopathy in pugs : A journey from ’wobbly pugs’ to pug dog myelopathy

Rohdin¹

2022

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae

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In summary, gait abnormalities were common in Swedish pugs and the character of the abnormal gait suggesting an underlying spinal cord disorder. The lack of association between presence, or type, of CVMs in the thoracolumbar vertebral column and neurological deficits, paraparesis and ataxia, suggested that other or additional factors were important for the development of PDM. Neuropathological examination showed that the clinical disease, PDM, was caused by the formation of profound meningeal fibrosis that interfered with the vascular supply to the spinal cord as well as caused obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow with subsequent parenchymal spinal cord destruction. In addition a considerable number of PDM pugs presented with inflammation in the central nervous system. A contribution of the immunological system on the development of PDM was supported by the finding of anti-GFAP autoantibodies in the CSF of pugs with PDM. Our results also indicated that the DLA class II risk haplotype for necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), even in a heterozygous state, may cause a more severe PDM phenotype. The potential relevance of multiple candidate genes to the pathogenesis of PDM, including those implicated with bone homeostasis, the differentiation of cartilage, inflammation and fibrotic scar tissue formation, should be confirmed in future studies.

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“…However, anomalies exist, and the spinal cord or vertebral column of an individual patient can differ from what is described in textbooks. Abnormally shaped vertebrae such as hemivertebrae, butterfly-shaped vertebrae, and, more recently, vertebral vascular canal dysplasia, or spinal malformations such as spinal dysraphism or arachnoid diverticula, are frequently diagnosed [3][4][5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conjoined Lumbosacral (L7-S1) Nerve Roots in a Dog

Lichtenauer,

Santifort,

Willems

et al. 2024

Anatomia

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Vertebral and spinal cord anomalies are well known in veterinary medicine. However, nerve root anomalies are seldomly reported. In human patients, nerve root anomalies can cause back pain and radicular pain. In human medicine, nerve root anomalies are more often found in cadaveric studies than in imaging studies, representing the lack of advanced imaging in the past and the unawareness about these pathologies. Additionally, nerve root anomalies can mimic other pathologies in imaging studies. It is important to know about the anatomy of the individual patient not only for correctly localizing the pathology but also for surgical planning and to prevent iatrogenic trauma to the patient. Conjoined nerve roots are a type of nerve root anomaly described in human medicine and are defined as two nerve roots that either share a common dural envelope at some point during their course from the dural sac or that have their origin very close together in the dural sac. In humans, lumbosacral nerve roots are most commonly conjoined, and signs of pain may be associated with this anomaly. We report the magnetic resonance imaging finding of right-sided conjoined L7 and S1 nerve roots in a dog that presented with lumbosacral hyperesthesia. We postulate that it is possible that the conjoined nerve roots played a role in the clinical signs of this dog. This is an anomaly that has not been reported before in veterinary medicine.

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Vertebral vascular canal dysplasia in French and English Bulldogs: Clinical, CT, and MRI characteristics and prevalence

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, surgical features and comparison of surgically treated intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, surgical features and comparison of surgically treated intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of a myelopathy in pugs : A journey from ’wobbly pugs’ to pug dog myelopathy

Conjoined Lumbosacral (L7-S1) Nerve Roots in a Dog

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