CLINICAL-MORPHOMETRIC RATIO OF DEGENERATIVE-DYSTROPHIC PROCESSES OF THE CERVICAL SPINE IN HUMANS AND ANIMALS IN SPINAL CHANNEL STENOSIS

Abstract

Relevance. Spinal stenosis is a common manifestation of degenerative-dystrophic lesions of the cervical spine (CS). In most cases it occurs with the development of neurological complications in the form of secondary spondylogenic myelopathy, radicular dysfunction, pain. Isolated studies indicate that this type of damage occurs in some animals. Objective: a comparative analysis of clinical, radiological and morphometric data on degenerative-dystrophic lesions in human and domestic animals on the background of degenerative changes in bone structures that provoke stenosis of the spinal canal with the development of spondylogenic myelopathy. Material and methods. The retrospective analysis included 65 patients (25 men, 40 women) with neurological symptoms who underwent computed tomography during 2018-2021. Prospectively, a study was performed with the participation of 75 domestic animals with similar symptoms (19 dogs of large breeds weighing more 20 kg, 42 dogs of small and medium breeds weighing less 20 kg, and 14 cats. Results. There was a close correlation of symptoms in humans and large dogs in the presence and degree of narrowing of the canal: in cases of stenosis of the ventricles in humans (75.3%), large breeds of dogs (78.9%), patients had similar neurological symptoms. The maximum decrease in the sagittal diameter of the spinal canal was found more at the level of the C6 vertebral body in both humans and animals, weighing more than 20 kg. The mass share of stenotic changes was mainly registered in men (84.0% vs. 70.0% in women). In addition, according to the Pavlov-Torg morphometric index, the width of the spinal canal in men was smaller than in women. Stenosis of the spinal canal was mainly registered in large breeds of dogs (78.9%), which almost completely coincided with the morphometry in humans (75.4%). Conclusions. The data of our research indicate the possibility of using large breeds of dogs in predicting the course of degenerative-dystrophic changes in humans, because physiological and pathophysiological processes in dogs are on average 7 times faster than in humans. The severity of the process, the clinic and morphometric data of CS animals depend on the species, breed, weight, age, and common factors in the development of degenerative-dystrophic changes in humans and some groups of animals may be aging in general and the spine in particular.

Keywords

• degenerative-dystrophic lesions, cervical spine, spinal canal stenosis, pain, cervicalgia