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, 13:02, 8 March 2011
* Compression may arise within or outside the spinal cord.
* Causes of compression include:
** '''Abscess'''
*** Abscesses may be extradural, vertebral or intervertebral.
** '''Fracture of vertebral bodies'''
*** Traumatic fracture
*** Pathological fracture, due to abscess, metabolic causes or neoplasia.
** '''Neoplasia'''
** '''Intervertebral disk disease'''
*** Prolapsed disks can cause acute or chronic compression.
** '''Malformations '''
*** Wobbler [[Equine Alimentary System - Anatomy & Physiology|horses]]
**** Caused by stenotic myelopathy.
**** The vertebral canal narrows due to malformation and malarticulation of the cervical vertebrae (usually C3-C4)
*** Cervical vertebral malformation-malarticulation in dogs has a similar pathogenesis to wobbler [[Equine Alimentary System - Anatomy & Physiology|horses]]
*** Atlantoaxial subluxation of toy dogs.
**** A hypoplastic dens leads to subluxation.
===Pathology===
* Lesions associated with focal compressive spinal cord injury are similar regardless of cause.
====Gross====
* The spinal cord may be indented or flattened.
====Histological====
* The myelin sheath may balloon in all funiculi.
* Axonal swelling and loss is seen.
* Macrophages appear within days and remove debris within myelin "digestion chambers".
* Neuronal loss, gliosis, malacia and oedema may also be apparent.
[[Category:Central Nervous System - Traumatic Injury]]