Examination of frozen cross sections of cervical spinal intersegments in nine horses with cervical vertebral malformation: lesions associated with spinal cord compression.

This research paper examines the morphological factors causing spinal cord compression in horses with cervical vertebral malformation, by studying frozen cervical spinal cord cross sections of nine affected horses after their death.

Study Sample

• The research was carried out using nine horses that showed both clinical and radiographic signs of cervical vertebral malformation.
• All the examined cases were focused on instances where there was a genuine distortion of the spinal cord due to compression.

Aims of the Study

• The main objective of this research was to identify the morphological, or structural, factors causing the narrowing of the spinal canal and subsequent compression of the spinal cord in horses.

Findings and Observations

• The study found that bone changes, such as osteochondrosis (a joint condition initially triggered by necrosis of subchondral bone), osteomyelitis (infection in the bone) of the dorsal articular facets (the small joints located between and behind adjacent vertebrae), as well as osteosclerosis (abnormal hardening of bone) of the dorsal cervical lamina (part of the vertebrae), are all associated with individual cases.
• Soft tissue-related issues were also identified as contributing factors to spinal cord compression. These included hypertrophy (enlargement) of the ligamentum flavum (the ligament that connects the laminae of adjacent vertebrae), swelling and hypertrophy of the joint capsule, and synovial cysts (fluid-filled sac-like formations in the synovial joint).
• Importantly, the research revealed that in most instances, a combination of several abnormalities was present in the horses suffering from spinal cord compression.