AUTHOR=Bach Fernando Swiech , Rebelatto Carmen Lucia Kuniyoshi , Fracaro Leticia , Senegaglia Alexandra Cristina , Fragoso Felipe Yukio Ishikawa , Daga Debora Regina , Brofman Paulo Roberto Slud , Pimpão Claudia Turra , Engracia Filho Jair Rodini , Montiani-Ferreira Fabiano , Villanova José Ademar TITLE=Comparison of the Efficacy of Surgical Decompression Alone and Combined With Canine Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cell Transplantation in Dogs With Acute Thoracolumbar Disk Disease and Spinal Cord Injury JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=6 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00383 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2019.00383 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=
Paraparesis and paraplegia are common conditions in dogs, most often caused by a disc herniation in the thoracolumbar spinal segments (T3-L3), which is a neurological emergency. Surgical decompression should be performed as soon as possible when spinal compression is revealed by myelography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. Mesenchymal stem-cell therapy is a promising adjunct treatment for spinal cord injury. This study sought to compare the effects of surgical decompression alone and combined with an allogeneic transplantation of canine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cAd-MSCs) in the treatment of dogs with acute paraplegia. Twenty-two adult dogs of different breeds with acute paraplegia resulting from a Hansen type I disc herniation in the thoracolumbar region (T3-L3) were evaluated using computed tomography. All dogs had grade IV or V lesions and underwent surgery within 7 days after symptom onset. They were randomly assigned into two groups, 11 dogs in each. The dogs in Group I underwent hemilaminectomy, and those in Group II underwent hemilaminectomy and cAd-MSC epidural transplantation. In both groups, all dogs with grade IV lesions recovered locomotion. The median locomotion recovery period was 7 days for Group II and 21 days for Group I, and this difference was statistically significant (