von Frey anesthesiometry to assess sensory impairment after acute spinal cord injury caused by thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in dogs

This study used an electric von Frey anesthesiometer (VFA) to measure sensory threshold (ST) in dogs with spinal cord injuries. The researchers compared ST values between normal dogs and dogs with acute thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (SCI). The study also looked at how ST values changed in SCI-affected dogs over a 30-day period following surgery.

• 1
  Pelvic limb ST values were significantly higher in SCI-affected dogs compared to normal dogs at days 3, 10, and 30 after surgery, indicating hypoalgesia.
• 2
  A progressive decrease in pelvic limb ST values occurred in SCI-affected dogs over time, correlating inversely with locomotor scores.
• 3
  Thoracic limb ST values did not differ significantly between SCI-affected dogs and normal dogs, but decreased slightly over time in both groups.