General Skull / Spine Flashcards
Atlanto-Axial subluxation
- Toy breed dogs < 1 year of age
- Dorsal angulationo f the dens
- Pathogenesis:
- Dens agenesis/hypoplasia
- Ligament agenesis
- Dens Fracture
Atlanto-Axial Subluxation:
Radiographic Finding
caudodorsal angulation of C2
small or absent dens
may need oblique lateral view or mildly flexed lateral
Caution must be taken with neck flexion
Atlanto-axial Instability:
Hypoplastic dens
Spinal Trauma
Subluxations / luxations / fractures / rotation
Fractures may be minimally displaced
Multiple views of excellent quality
Pathological fractures
Myelography / CT / MRI
Spinal Trauma:
Compression Fracture
The compressed vertebra will be smaller than its adjacent vertebra
Spinal Trauma:
Fracture Luxation
Degenerative spinal conditions
spondylosis
Spondylarthrosis
Disc herniation
Spondylosis
- degenerative disease of the spine
- “Bony spurs” ventral/lateral aspect of adjacent vertebral bodies
- Varying degree → may progress to fusion
- May impinge on i/v foramina if severe
- Essentially degenerative joint disease around the vertebral joints
-
Primary:
- usually not clinically significant, unless progresses to nerve root involvement
- at the lumbar-sacral region can indicate cauda equina
-
Secondary to:
- CVI, disc herniation, discospondylitis, trauma, disc fenestration, hemivertebrae
Spondylarthrosis
DJD of articulation facets
Older dogs
Can extend to involve the IVF or impinge on spinal cord
Spondylarthrosis
Intervertebral Disc Disease
- Traumatic or Degenerative
- Degenerative especially young chondrodysplastic breeds / older other breeds
- TL and C spine most commonly
- Neurological exam critical
- Excellent quality radiographs needed
- Rare in cats (Traumatic)
Lumbosacral Disease
- Instability/ subluxation
- Disc extrusion / protrusion
- Spondylarthrosis
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Neoplasia
- Together or independently result in compression of the cauda Equina
Lumbosacral Disease:
Radiographic findings
may need flexed, hyperextended and neurtral laterals
Distinguish dynamic disease
Narrowed LS space
LS spondylosis often seen in dogs without clinical signs
lumbosacral disease
Discospondylitis
- Infection of the intervertebral discs and end plates
- Bacterial
- Fungal
- Medical work up to identify the underlying cause
- Radiograph WHOLE vertebral column
- multiple sites
- different stages
- Repeat every 2-3 weeks to monitor healing
Discospondylitis:
Radiographic findings
- Earliest sign = decreased width of I/V disc space
- Early Stage:
- increased width of i/v disc spaces a.r.o lysis of end plate
- Sclerosis of adjacent vertebral bodies
- Later Stage:
- spondylosis
- Lytic area fills up with bone → fusion
- Complications
- spinal cord compression
- Empyema
discospondylitis
Spondylitis
Inflammation of the vertebral body
- Causes:
- bacterial
- Parasitic
- Foreign body
- Metastatic neoplasia
Why is L3-L4 more commonly affected by migrating grass awns than other vertebra?
spondylitis
Common indications for skull xrays
Dental radiography
Aural
Nasal and frontal sinuses
Temporomandibular joints
Trauma to the skull
Neoplastic conditions
Abnormalities of the ears
- Acute:
- no radiographic changes
- Chronic:
- mineralization of the ear canals or increase soft tissue opacity
- Narrowing of the ear canals
- Thickening of hte tympanic bulla with chronic middle ear disease
- Severe infections or neoplasia can cause lysis of the tympanic bulla
Chronic otitis externa with mineralized ear canals
Chronic otits externa with narrowed ear canals
Chronic Otitis media with thickened bulla
Nasal DIsease
- Cause:
- neoplasia
- Infection
- Foreign Body
- Non specific non infectious inflammation
- Clinical signs:
- stertor / stridor
- History of nasal discharge
- Facial deformity
Neoplasia
most intracranial tumors cause no calvarial change
Soft tissue tumors may erode bone
Tumors of dental origin
Primary bone tumor
