AUTHOR=Jeffery Nick D. , Olby Natasha J. , Moore Sarah A. , The Canine Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (CANSORT-SCI) , Moore Sarah A. , Olby Natasha J. , Gjessing Kady M. , Davidson Rhanna M. , Levine Jonathan M. , McWhorter Helen , Lewis Melissa J. , Jeffery Nick D. , Mullins Maureen E. , da Costa Ronaldo Casimiro , Nout-Lomas Yvette S. , Fenn Joe , Granger Nicolas , Spitzbarth Ingo , Stein Veronika M. , Tipold Andrea , Lim Ji-Hey , Volk Holger TITLE=Clinical Trial Design—A Review—With Emphasis on Acute Intervertebral Disc Herniation JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=7 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00583 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.00583 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=

There is a clear need for new methods of treatment of acute disc herniation in dogs, most obviously to address the permanent loss of function that can arise because of the associated spinal cord injury. Clinical trials form the optimal method to introduce new therapies into everyday clinical practice because they are a reliable source of unbiased evidence of effectiveness. Although many designs are available, parallel cohort trials are most widely applicable to acute disc herniation in dogs. In this review another key trial design decision—that between pragmatic and explanatory approaches—is highlighted and used as a theme to illustrate the close relationship between trial objective and design. Acute disc herniation, and acute spinal cord injury, is common in dogs and there is a multitude of candidate interventions that could be trialed. Most current obstacles to large-scale clinical trials in dogs can be overcome by collaboration and cooperation amongst interested veterinarians.