Recurrence of cervical intervertebral disc extrusion in 55 dogs after surgical decompression with or without prophylactic fenestration

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether prophylactic fenestration (PF) of adjacent intervertebral discs decreases the recurrence rate (RR) of cervical intervertebral disc extrusion (C-IVDE) in small dogs undergoing ventral slot (VS) decompression, and whether PF increases perioperative complication risk. Study design: Retrospective, multi-institutional cohort study. Sample population: A total of 55 dogs. Methods: Medical records of a mixed population of small dogs (<20 kg) treated with VS for C-IVDE with a minimum one-year follow-up were reviewed. During surgery, dogs underwent either single-site PF, multiple-site PF, or no PF. Perioperative complication rate and RR were compared between PF and non-PF groups using generalized linear models. Surgical time and neurologic grade (presurgery, post-surgery, at first recheck) were compared with Mann–Whitney test and chi-squared tests. Results: A total of 55 dogs were included (PF: n = 18; non-PF: n = 37). Neurologic grades were similar at all timepoints. Median time to first recheck was 14 days (range: 5–56). Median follow-up time was 1380 days (range: 365–2777). Recurrence occurred in 25% of dogs (14/55), all in the non-PF group. Prophylactic fenestration was associated with a lower RR (p