Atlantooccipital overlapping and its effect on outcomes after ventral fixation in dogs with atlantoaxial instability

We compared clinical outcomes after ventral fixation in dogs with atlantoaxial instability (AAI) on the basis of the presence or absence of atlantooccipital overlapping (AOO). Of 41 dogs diagnosed with AAI and treated ventral fixation, 12 exhibited AOO (AOO group), whereas 29 did not (non-AOO group). The AOO group had significantly higher neurological scores before (P=0.024) and 1 month after (P=0.033) surgery compared with the non-AOO group; however, no significant differences were observed between the groups 2 months after surgery. The presence of complicating AOO affected the clinical signs for dogs with AAI, but did not directly affect the outcome of surgical stabilization of AAI.

Biomechanical evaluation of three ventral fixation methods for canine atlantoaxial instability: a cadaveric study

We evaluated comparatively the mechanical strength in three kinds of surgical fixation techniques for canine atlantoaxial joint. Atlantoaxial plate fixation (APF), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) fixation (PMF) and transarticular fixation (TAF) were applied to the atlas and axis harvested from healthy beagle dogs, and then, the specimens were tested. The PMF group had significantly higher resistance to flexion than the APF group (P=0.030) and the TAF group (P=0.004). There were no significant differences in resistance to torsion between the APF group and the PMF group, while the APF group had significantly higher resistance to torsion than the TAF group (P=0.037). Considering the possible drawbacks of using PMMA, the APF method is proposed as an alternative to the PMF method.