Traumatic rib head subluxation through the intervertebral foramen causing spinal cord contusive injury in a cat

Lisiewicz, Natalie; Green, Matthew; Targett, Mike; Lowrie, Mark

Abstract

Case summary: A 4-year-old cat involved in a road traffic accident presented with paraparesis, which was worse on the right-hand side. Neurolocalisation was to the T3–L3 spinal cord segments. Survey radiographs showed rib fractures but no definitive diagnosis for the paraparesis. CT revealed fracture of the dorsal rim and a T9 rib subluxation through the intervertebral foramen at T8–T9. This caused a contusive spinal injury. Treatment consisted of rest and analgesia. The cat recovered well, with the owner reporting no abnormalities 5 months following the injury. Relevance and novel information: Road traffic accidents are a common cause of injury in the cat population, with a significant number having thoracic injuries. These include rib injures such as fractures. This is the first reported case of a traumatic rib subluxation causing a contusive injury in the spinal cord of any species. Previously reported rib subluxations have been seen in humans with spinal deformities. Conservative management in this case was sufficient.

Citation

Lisiewicz, N., Green, M., Targett, M., & Lowrie, M. (2020). Traumatic rib head subluxation through the intervertebral foramen causing spinal cord contusive injury in a cat. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports, 6(1), Article PMC7285950. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055116920929260

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 28, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Publication Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 9, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 9, 2021
• Journal: Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2055-1169
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: PMC7285950
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2055116920929260
• Keywords: Traffic collisions, computed tomography, CT, injuries, spinal cord, dislocation, luxation, vehicular, traffic crashes, x-ray
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5652219
• Publisher URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7285950/