Presumptive coccygeal diskospondylitis in a cat

Liatis, Theophanes; Hammond, Gawain; Miro, Ana Cloquell; Alvarez, Javier Rincon

doi:10.1136/vetreccr-2020-001262

Cited by 2 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In accordance with previous reports, the most affected breed was the DSH, the most common intervertebral disc affected was L7–S1 (Table 1) and cats were mainly mature adult cats with a median age of 9 years. 10–17 Male cats were found to be marginally over-represented (58%) in the study population, which is in agreement with 7/8 previously reported cats. 10–17 Discospondylitis in cats has only been found in the thoracolumbar, lumbosacral and coccygeal vertebral column, with no reported instances of cervical discospondylitis.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…10–17 Male cats were found to be marginally over-represented (58%) in the study population, which is in agreement with 7/8 previously reported cats. 10–17 Discospondylitis in cats has only been found in the thoracolumbar, lumbosacral and coccygeal vertebral column, with no reported instances of cervical discospondylitis.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…This is in agreement with previous reports, where changes in haematology, including neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia and eosinopenia (n = 1/8); leukocytosis with neutrophilia (n = 1/8); 11,13 abnormalities in serum biochemistry, including hyperglobulinaemia (n = 2/8); increased urea and creatinine (n = 1/8) and hypercalcaemia, were reported inconsistently. 12,14,17 CSF analysis, despite only having been performed in a minority of cats, did not reveal any abnormalities, which is in agreement with findings in dogs, where analysis is typically unremarkable or reveals only non-specific changes. 2,6 Acute-phase proteins, namely C-reactive protein (CRP), have recently been studied in canine discospondylitis in two case series, with 61–87.5% of dogs presenting with increased serum CRP, which was a more prevalent finding than pyrexia/hyperthermia and leukocytosis in both studies, alongside hyperglobulinaemia in one of the studies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…In previously reported cats, the described clinical signs included spinal hyperaesthesia in all cats and neurological deficits, including proprioceptive ataxia, paraparesis or paraplegia, in 5/8 cats. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Non-specific clinical signs such as a reluctance to jump, lethargy or inappetence/anorexia were present in a smaller percentage of cats (Table 2). Pyrexia was identified in a minority of the present cats (n = 3/17), having also only been reported in 2/8 of previously reported cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In contrast, the literature regarding feline discospondylitis is sparse, with only eight individual case reports. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Despite recent advances in terms of diagnostic imaging features able to guide diagnosis of this condition in cats, 18 there is little information available on signalment, clinical features, neurological findings, treatment options and outcome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Clinical features, treatment and outcome of discospondylitis in cats

Gomes¹,

Garosi

Behr

et al. 2021

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Objectives There is a paucity of information on feline discospondylitis. This study aimed to describe the signalment, clinical and laboratory findings, aetiological agents, treatment and outcome in cats affected by discospondylitis. Methods This was a retrospective review of the medical records of cats diagnosed with discospondylitis at four referral institutions. Results A total of 17 cats were identified. Most were domestic shorthair cats (76.5%) and male (58.8%), with a median age of 9 years (range 0.9–14) and a median duration of clinical signs of 3 weeks (range 0.3–16). All cats presented with spinal hyperaesthesia; 3/17 had pyrexia. Neurological dysfunction was found in 64.7% of cats, which was indicative of a T3–L3 or L4–S2 spinal segment, associated nerve root or associated nerve neurolocalisation. Haematology, serum biochemistry and urinalysis revealed occasional inconsistent non-specific changes. All cats underwent urine culture; 9/17 cats also had a distinct tissue cultured. Positive bacterial cultures were obtained in two cats (11.8%) for Staphylococcus species (urine, blood and intradiscal fine-needle aspirate) and Escherichia coli (urine); both presented with multifocal discospondylitis. Treatment was non-surgical in all cats, with sustained antibiotic therapy for a median of 3 months (range 1–9). Analgesia provided included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alone or in combination with gabapentin. Restricted exercise was advised for a minimum of 4 weeks. Outcome information available in 12 cats was excellent in terms of pain control and neurological function in 10 cats (83.3%) at the time of stopping antibiotics. Recurrence occurred in one case, which had received a single antibiotic for 6 weeks, and relapsed 4 months after presentation. One other case failed to improve and was euthanased during the course of hospitalisation. Conclusions and relevance Feline discospondylitis is uncommon and no obvious signalment predisposition was found in this study. Spinal hyperaesthesia was universally present, with neurological dysfunction also highly prevalent. Bacterial culture was unrewarding in most cases. Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid or cephalosporins are reasonable choices for first-line antibiotics. Prognosis was favourable, with no long-term evidence of recurrence in cats on sustained antibiotic therapy, for a mean duration of 3 months.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Clinical features, treatment and outcome of discospondylitis in cats

Gomes¹,

Garosi

Behr

et al. 2021

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Spinal decompression and stabilisation in a cat with lumbar vertebral pathological fracture and subluxation, following discospondylitis and spinal epidural empyema

Proteasa¹,

Walton

Carrera³

et al. 2023

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports

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Case series summary A 1-year-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was referred because of a 1-week history of progressive spastic non-ambulatory paraparesis. An MRI examination of the thoracolumbar spine showed multiple lytic lesions, with the most aggressive one centred on the adjacent endplates of L1–L2 and its associated disc. Ventral new bone formation, L1 vertebral body shortening and mild dorsal displacement of the caudal aspect of L1 were noted. Contrast enhancement of both paravertebral soft tissue and extradural lesion was present. These findings were compatible with L1–L2 discospondylitis (DS), spinal epidural empyema (SEE), with secondary L1 pathological vertebral fracture, subluxation and spinal cord compression. CT of the thoracolumbar spine, abdomen and thorax confirmed these findings. The patient deteriorated to paraplegia with absent nociception, despite initial medical therapy. A right-sided L1–L2 hemilaminectomy and spinal decompression were then performed, followed by application of a unilateral construct comprising four smooth arthrodesis wires and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). S taphylococcus aureus was isolated from both epidural material, intraoperatively sampled and blood culture. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 6 weeks, based on susceptibility results. The outcome was excellent, with a gradual improvement and complete neurological recovery at the 8-week postoperative check. Repeated spinal radiographs showed an intact apparatus and marked signs of vertebral fusion. At the 14-month follow-up examination, the cat remained free of clinical signs. Relevance and novel information To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report of SEE and DS in a cat that required surgical stabilisation. The outcome was still optimal, despite the rapid neurological deterioration.

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Presumptive coccygeal diskospondylitis in a cat

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Clinical features, treatment and outcome of discospondylitis in cats

Clinical features, treatment and outcome of discospondylitis in cats

Spinal decompression and stabilisation in a cat with lumbar vertebral pathological fracture and subluxation, following discospondylitis and spinal epidural empyema

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