Spinal Arachnoid Diverticula: Outcome in 96 Medically or Surgically Treated Dogs

BACKGROUND Little is reported about the role of medical management in the treatment of spinal arachnoid diverticula (SAD) in dogs. OBJECTIVES To describe the outcome of 96 dogs treated medically or surgically for SAD. ANIMALS Ninety-six dogs with SAD. METHODS Retrospective case series. Medical records were searched for spinal arachnoid diverticula and all dogs with information on treatment were included. Outcome was assessed with a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS Fifty dogs were managed medically and 46 dogs were treated surgically. Dogs that underwent surgery were significantly younger than dogs that received medical management. No other variables, related to clinical presentation, were significantly different between both groups of dogs. The median follow-up time was 16 months (1-90 months) in the medically treated and 23 months (1-94 months) in the surgically treated group. Of the 38 dogs treated surgically with available long-term follow-up, 82% (n = 31) improved, 3% (n = 1) remained stable and 16% (n = 6) deteriorated after surgery. Of the 37 dogs treated medically with available long-term follow-up, 30% (n = 11) improved, 30% (n = 11) remained stable, and 40% (n = 15) deteriorated. Surgical treatment was more often associated with clinical improvement compared to medical management (P = .0002). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The results of this study suggest that surgical treatment might be superior to medical treatment in the management of SAD in dogs. Further studies with standardized patient care are warranted.