Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 1976 · 12 citations · 0 references
MedicineSurgeryVeterinary SurgeryAnesthesiaSmall Animal SurgeryTrauma NeurosurgerySpinal AnesthesiaSpinal Cord InjurySpinal Injury ManagementSpinal TraumaTrauma ManagementCanine AnesthesiaConservative Surgical TreatmentRecovery Rate MeasurementSpinal Cord Injury ManagementSpinal Cord Injury RecoverySpinal InjuriesTraumatic Spinal Cord InjuryVeterinary Anesthesia
Aggressive pharmacologic and surgical treatment of spinal cord injuries in 22 dogs and 3 cats resulted in a recovery rate of 44% of all 25 animals. Excluding 5 animals that were euthanatized at surgery because of visualized cord transection and 5 that died during surgery because of secondary lesions, the recovery rate was 73%. This is compared with a recovery rate of 39% (7/18) for animals treated with more conservative methods at the same institution during an earlier period. Of the 7 animals without spinal cord transection and treated within 4 hours of injury, all recovered, pointing to the merits of early surgical intervention.