Retrospective study on the incidence of spinal injuries by computed tomographic scan. Part II: Thoracolumbar and lumbosacral.

Abstract

For vertebromedullary injuries, epidemiological knowledge is essential to guide the choice of the most effective diagnostic method. The objective of this retrospective study is to trace the epidemiological profile of thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spine lesions diagnosed by computed tomography scan. A compilation of CT scan reports for the aforementioned regions performed in a comercial diagnostic center from 04/01/2017 to 04/30/2020, contrasted and non-contrasted, from routine, was performed in order to list the most common lesions, breeds and locations. There were 1164 CT scans performed in the period evaluated, 670 (57,56%) for the spine, with 601 reports accessed (89,7%), where the regions mentioned here added up to 439 studies (73,05%). In both regions, male French Bulldog dogs had the most injuries. For the thoracolumbar region, disk mineralization, followed by extrusion, were the most frequent injuries, while the site was T12-13 and the mean age 6,5±3,63 years old. In the lumbosacral, disk protrusion was most frequent, the most affected site was L7-S1 and age 6,65±3,79 years. It was concluded that the spine is the main target of CT scans, and that lesions related to the intervertebral disk were the main ones identified, with chondrodystrophic animals being more predisposed to injury.