Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Q&A 15
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A seven-month-old, female Toy Poodle jumped from a footstool onto the floor, yelped and became reluctant to move. The dog is ambulatory, but conscious proprioceptive deficits are noted on all four limbs. Pain is easily elicited upon cervical palpation. Cervical radiographs are taken with the dog under anesthesia.
| Question | Answer | Article | |
| What is the diagnosis? | Atlantoaxial instability/luxation. |
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| Congenital absence of what structure predisposes to this situation? | Absence of the dens. |
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| What non-surgical therapy could be used to treat this patient? | Neck brace, cage rest (at least 3 weeks) and analgesics. |
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| What are the limitations of using this non-surgical treatment as the definitive therapy? | Conservative management relies on scar tissue for stabilization; therefore, minimal trauma could result in recurrence of atlantoaxial luxation and associated clinical signs. |
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| Describe a surgical treatment performed from a ventral cervical approach. | Transarticular atlantoaxial pins. |
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