The veterinary journal
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The veterinary journal · Feb 2013
Intervertebral disc disease in dogs - part 1: a new histological grading scheme for classification of intervertebral disc degeneration in dogs.
Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is common in dogs and can lead to serious disorders. Current treatments can relieve clinical signs of disease, but do not restore IVD function. The development of regenerative strategies for IVD dysfunction requires detailed knowledge of the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration and its underlying mechanisms. ⋯ Significant correlations were found between Thompson grading and total histological score (r=0.94; P<0.01) and between glycosaminoglycan content and total histological score (r=-0.72; P<0.01). Most individual histological variables showed 'moderate' to 'almost perfect' inter-observer reliability. The high correlation with the gold standards in combination with the high reproducibility indicates that the proposed histological grading scheme is reliable and objective for classification of IVD degeneration in both chondrodystrophic and non-chondrodystrophic dog breeds.