Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for results of low-field magnetic resonance imaging in dogs with and without clinical signs of disk-associated wobbler syndrome

Decker, Steven De; Gielen, Ingrid; Duchateau, Luc; Lang, Johann; Dennis, Ruth; Corzo-Menéndez, Nuria; Bree, Henri J. J. van; Soens, Iris Van; Binst, Dominique; Waelbers, Tim; Ham, Luc M L M Van

doi:10.2460/javma.238.1.74

Cited by 23 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The pathogenesis is complex and unclear. An example of this complexity is that Doberman Pinschers can have spinal cord compression but no clinical signs of cervical spondylomyelopathy …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed Tomography Myelographic Findings in Dogs With Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Costa

Echandi²,

Beauchamp³

2011

Vet Radiology Ultrasound

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Computed tomography (CT) myelography is used occasionally in the diagnosis of cervical spondylomyelopathy, but the type of lesion found in large- versus giant-breed dogs using this modality has not been characterized. Our purpose was to report the frequency of compressive lesions in large- and giant-breed dogs with cervical spondylomyelopathy and imaged using CT myelography. Fifty-eight dogs were retrospectively studied, 23 large-breed and 35 giant-breed dogs. Multiple sites of compression were found in 12 large-breed dogs (52.2%) compared to 30 (85.8%) giant-breed dogs. The main site of compression was at C5-6 and C6-7 in both large-breed (91.3%) and giant-breed (72.4%) dogs. The main cause and direction of compression was disc-associated and ventral in 19 (82.6%) of the large-breed dogs while osseous changes were the primary cause of compression in 27 (77.2%) of the giant-breed dogs, with most compressions being lateral (51.4%), followed by dorsolateral (14.2%). Osseous compression was observed at C7-T1 in eight giant-breed dogs (22.8%), and at T1-T2 or T2 only in five dogs (14.3%). Four of 23 large-breed dogs (17.4%), and seven (20%) of 35 giant-breed dogs had spinal cord atrophy. Therefore, giant-breed dogs often have multiple compressions, usually caused by osseous changes causing lateralized compressions. In large-breed dogs most compressions are disc-associated and located ventrally. Considering the number of giant-breed dogs with compressions at C7-T1, T1-2, and T2, it is important to include the cranial thoracic region when imaging dogs suspected of having cervical spondylomyelopathy.

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“…The pathogenesis is complex and unclear. An example of this complexity is that Doberman Pinschers can have spinal cord compression but no clinical signs of cervical spondylomyelopathy …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed Tomography Myelographic Findings in Dogs With Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Costa

Echandi²,

Beauchamp³

2011

Vet Radiology Ultrasound

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“…Gait abnormalities are often one of the first noted signs in dogs with CSM and are observed as a slowly progressive hind limb ataxia or “wobbling” of the pelvic limbs . Additionally, thoracic limb abnormalities may manifest themselves as varying degrees of ataxia in combination with a short, stilted gait . Treatment options for CSM include conservative management or surgical decompression; however, the best option for treatment is still highly controversial .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐Dimensional Kinematic Gait Analysis of Doberman Pinschers with and without Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Foss

Costa

Moore

2012

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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Background The optimal treatment of cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM) is controversial, with the owner’s and clinician’s perception of gait improvement often being used as outcome measures. These methods are subjective and suffer from observer bias. Objectives To establish kinematic gait parameters utilizing digital motion capture in normal Doberman Pinschers and compare them with CSM-affected Dobermans. Animals Nineteen Doberman Pinschers; 10 clinically normal and 9 with CSM. Methods All dogs were enrolled prospectively and fitted with a Lycra® body suit, and motion capture was performed and used to reconstruct a 3-D stick diagram representation of each dog based on 32 reflective markers, from which several parameters were measured. These included stride duration, length, and height; maximal and minimal spinal angles; elbow and stifle flexion and extension; and maximum and minimum distances between the thoracic and pelvic limbs. A random-effects linear regression model was used to compare parameters between groups. Results Significant differences between groups included smaller minimum (mean = 116 mm; P = .024) and maximum (mean = 184 mm; P = .001) distance between the thoracic limbs in CSM-affected dogs. Additionally, thoracic limb stride duration was also smaller (P = .009) in CSM-affected dogs (mean = 0.7 seconds) when compared with normal dogs (mean = 0.8 seconds). In the pelvic limbs, the average stifle flexion (mean = 100°; P = .048) and extension (mean = 136°; P = .009), as well as number of strides (mean = 2.7 strides; P = .033) were different between groups. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Our findings suggest that computerized gait analysis reveals more consistent kinematic differences in the thoracic limbs, which can be used as future objective outcome measures.

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“…Although the authors of this study have already described the morphologic and morphometric cervical MRI findings of dogs with DA-CSM, clinically normal Doberman pinschers, and clinically normal English Foxhounds, no results have yet been reported on their intervertebral disk width [13-16]. These previous studies have demonstrated that the occurrence and degree of disk degeneration and protrusion could be considered part of normal age-related spinal degeneration [13,15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Intervertebral disk width in dogs with and without clinical signs of disk associated cervical spondylomyelopathy

et al. 2012

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BackgroundDisk-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy (DA-CSM) is a multifactorial neurological disorder in which progressive caudal cervical spinal cord compression is mainly caused by one or more intervertebral disk protrusions. The Doberman pinscher breed seems predisposed for this condition. The underlying cause and pathophysiology of DA-CSM are currently unknown. Recently, wider intervertebral disks have been put forward as a risk factor for development of clinically relevant DA-CSM. However, little is known about other factors affecting intervertebral disk width. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess the association between intervertebral disk width, measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and clinical status, age, gender and intervertebral disk location in dogs with and without clinical signs of DA-CSM.MethodsDoberman pinschers with clinical signs of DA-CSM (N=17),clinically normal Doberman pinschers (N=20), and clinically normal English Foxhounds (N=17), underwent MRI of the cervical vertebral column. On sagittal T2-weighted images, intervertebral disk width was measured from C2-C3 to C6-C7. Intra –and interobserver agreement were assessed on a subset of 20 of the 54 imaging studies.ResultsIntervertebral disk width was not significantly different between Doberman pinschers with clinical signs of DA-CSM, clinically normal Doberman pinschers or clinically normal English Foxhounds (p=0.43). Intervertebral disk width was positively associated with increasing age (p=0.029). Each monthly increase in age resulted in an increase of disk width by 0.0057mm. Intervertebral disk width was not significantly affected by gender (p=0.056), but was significantly influenced by intervertebral disk location (p <0.0001). The assessed measurements were associated with a good intra –and interobserver agreement.ConclusionsThe present study does not provide evidence that wider intervertebral disks are associated with clinical status in dogs with and without DA-CSM. Instead, it seems that cervical intervertebral disk width in dogs is positively associated with increase in age.

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Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for results of low-field magnetic resonance imaging in dogs with and without clinical signs of disk-associated wobbler syndrome

Abstract: Results suggested that variability exists among observers with regard to results of MRI in dogs with DAWS and that MRI could lead to false-positive and false-negative assessments.

Cited by 23 publications

References 29 publications

Computed Tomography Myelographic Findings in Dogs With Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Computed Tomography Myelographic Findings in Dogs With Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Three‐Dimensional Kinematic Gait Analysis of Doberman Pinschers with and without Cervical Spondylomyelopathy

Intervertebral disk width in dogs with and without clinical signs of disk associated cervical spondylomyelopathy

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