Wobbler Disease - A Recent Update in The Treatment of Wobbler's Disease in Canines

A Recent Update in The Treatment of Wobbler's Disease in Canines

A new surgical treatment is now available for dogs with Disc-Associated Wobbler's Syndrome. This surgical treatment involves implanting an artificial disc (cervical arthroplasty) in place of the affected disc space. This is a less invasive technique with minimal risks and post-operative care. All dogs treated have displayed excellent short and long terms clinical results. Cervical arthroplasty can also be applied in multiple spaces and it is cost effective. For further reading on the new procedure, please see "Cervical Arthroplasty in Two Dogs with Disc Associated Cervical Spondylomyelopathy." JAVMA, Vol 239, No 6, September 15, 2011, http://www.scribd.com/doc/56257403/DrAdamoFullArticle.

Please note that this procedure is considered investigational, and results of only a small handful of dogs have been published. This procedure has not yet been shown to be equivalent or superior to more established repair techniques, and long-term safety has not been established. It should also be noted that this procedure is the only one of its kind that requires use of a proprietary device. This device is patented by the author of the published studies, who has a conflict of interest due to ownership of the device patent. No unbiased review of the device or procedure has yet been performed by any other parties.

T2 weighted MRI in neutral (A) and linear traction (B) of a 7 year old Doberman with a 2 year history of cervical pain treated with NSAID and presented acutely tretraplegic. A C6-C7 and C5-C6 traction responsive myelopathy are evident on MRI. The spinal cord hyperintensity seen at the C5-C6 is suggestive of chronic lesion and most likely responsible for the chronic history of cervical pain, while the C5-C6 lesion was most likely responsible for the acute tetraplegia.

Same dog (A) treated with double implant (B) three days post-surgery. The dog became ambulatory 3 days after surgery. Four weeks post-surgery it had ataxia without conscious proprioceptive deficits, and 3 months post-surgery the dog was neurologically normal. Owner reported that it had been 2 years since the dog was not able to hold its neck in an elevated position.