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Animals
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Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals
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Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2024 | Viewed by 10824

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ângela Martins

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande, Nº376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: canine rehabilitation; dog physiotherapy; emergencies and soft tissue, orthopedic and neurological surgery
Prof. Dr. António J. A. Ferreira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neurology, Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Lisbon University, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: neurology; spinal cord injury; imageology; neurosurgery
Prof. Dr. Darryl Millis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Interests: orthopedic surgery; physical therapy; rehabilitation; small animals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent times, neurorehabilitation has been implemented in daily clinical practice as an essential tool for the recovery of ambulation, with increasing emphasis on small animals. All dogs and cats not presenting with deep pain, in either chronic or acute situations, can benefit from complementary and multimodal rehabilitation programs. Therefore, target patients may be those with spinal cord compressive myelopathies (Hansen type I and II) usually after a surgical approach, vascular or traumatic noncompressive myelopathies, vertebral fractures or luxation, and patients with peripheral nervous system disorders ranging from neuropraxia to severe axonotmesis injuries. Some of these patients are condemned to euthanasia. Therefore, we extend an invitation to all our colleagues to become pioneers in this area of veterinary medicine, emerging with necessary scientific soundness and rigor. All of this has prompted the journal “Animals” to call for a Special Issue on “Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals”. We encourage the submission of article contributions in formats supported by this journal, particularly (but not only) in the form of research articles, reviews, and viewpoints.

Dr. Ângela Martins
Prof. Dr. António J. A. Ferreira
Prof. Dr. Darryl Millis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neurorehabilitation
  • myelopathies
  • peripheral nervous system
  • small animals

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 4279 KiB  
Article
Mapping Subchondral Bone Density Distribution in the Canine C6-C7 Vertebral Endplates: A CT-OAM Study
by Vincenz Kramer and Peter Böttcher
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3432; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223432 - 07 Nov 2023
Viewed by 851
Abstract
Intervertebral cage subsidence is a common complication in treating disc-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy in dogs. The mechanical stability of the vertebral endplate in contact with the cage is crucial to preventing subsidence. This study aims to assess subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD) in the [...] Read more.
Intervertebral cage subsidence is a common complication in treating disc-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy in dogs. The mechanical stability of the vertebral endplate in contact with the cage is crucial to preventing subsidence. This study aims to assess subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD) in the canine vertebral endplate (specifically, the C6-C7 vertebral motion unit) as a measure of its mechanical stability. The sBMD distribution was mapped for the C6 caudal and C7 cranial vertebral endplates in 15 middle- to large-breed dogs using computed tomography osteoabsorptiometry. The sBMD distribution in the canine C6 and C7 vertebral endplates exhibited a heterogeneous pattern, with lower density observed in the central and dorsal contact areas of the nucleus pulposus, where common subsidence occurs. Our results suggest a potential need to redesign intervertebral cages to ensure that contact areas align with regions of higher bone density. A broad-based design extending toward the lateral and dorsal aspects of the annulus fibrosus contact area may enhance stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals)
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16 pages, 3295 KiB  
Article
Clinical Occurrences in the Neurorehabilitation of Dogs with Severe Spinal Cord Injury
by Débora Gouveia, Sara Fonseca, Carla Carvalho, Ana Cardoso, António Almeida, Óscar Gamboa, Rute Canejo-Teixeira, António Ferreira and Ângela Martins
Animals 2023, 13(7), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13071164 - 25 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
This prospective observational clinical study in a population of tetraplegic and paraplegic dogs (n = 488) with or without deep pain sensation, similar to humans ASIA A and B, investigated the prevalence of clinical occurrences in a rehabilitation center with a hospitalization [...] Read more.
This prospective observational clinical study in a population of tetraplegic and paraplegic dogs (n = 488) with or without deep pain sensation, similar to humans ASIA A and B, investigated the prevalence of clinical occurrences in a rehabilitation center with a hospitalization regime between 15 days and 9 months. A checklist of occurrences was used for easy identification and monitoring, resulting in a total of 79.5% occurrences. There were 58% of dogs with neurogenic bladder, 35.5% with diarrhea, 21.3% with urinary incontinence, and 20.5% with fecal incontinence. A low incidence of respiratory problems (e.g., pneumonia) and urinary tract infections may suggest the efficacy of some applied measures in this study, such as thoracic and abdominal POCUS evaluation, positioning strategies, physical exercises, respiratory kinesiotherapy, and early implementation of a functional neurorehabilitation protocol. These can be essential measures to prevent clinical occurrences, mainly in breeds such as the French Bulldog and the Dachshund. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals)
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19 pages, 5938 KiB  
Article
Early Locomotor Training in Tetraplegic Post-Surgical Dogs with Cervical Intervertebral Disc Disease
by Débora Gouveia, Carla Carvalho, Ana Cardoso, Óscar Gamboa, António Almeida, António Ferreira and Ângela Martins
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2369; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182369 - 11 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2257
Abstract
Locomotor training (LT) is task-specific repetitive training, with sensorimotor stimulation and intensive exercises that promote neuromuscular reorganization. This study aimed to observe if LT could be initiated safely in the first 3–15 days after surgery in tetraplegic C1–C5 IVDD—Hansen type I dogs. This [...] Read more.
Locomotor training (LT) is task-specific repetitive training, with sensorimotor stimulation and intensive exercises that promote neuromuscular reorganization. This study aimed to observe if LT could be initiated safely in the first 3–15 days after surgery in tetraplegic C1–C5 IVDD—Hansen type I dogs. This prospective blinded clinical study was conducted at two rehabilitation centers in Portugal, with 114 grade 1 (MFS/OFS) dogs, divided by the presence of spinal hyperesthesia into the SHG (spinal hyperesthesia group) (n = 74) and the NSHG (non-spinal hyperesthesia group) (n = 40), evaluated in each time point for two weeks according to a neurorehabilitation checklist by three observers for inter-agreement relation. LT was safely applied with 62.3% of the OFS ≥ 11 within 15 days and of these, 32.4% achieved a OFS ≥ 13. There were no new cases of hyperesthesia in the NSHG and from the SHG all recovered. Comparing groups, a significant difference was observed in their ability to achieve ambulatory status (p < 0.001), between the presence of hyperesthesia and days until ambulation (p < 0.006) and in each time point (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.809). Early LT may be a safe treatment to be applied in the first 3 days on these dogs and spinal hyperesthesia should be important to the rehabilitation team. This study should be continued. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals)
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20 pages, 5889 KiB  
Article
Influence of Spinal Shock on the Neurorehabilitation of ANNPE Dogs
by Débora Gouveia, Ana Cardoso, Carla Carvalho, Ana Rita Gonçalves, Óscar Gamboa, Rute Canejo-Teixeira, António Ferreira and Ângela Martins
Animals 2022, 12(12), 1557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12121557 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2383
Abstract
Acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE) is related to contusive spinal cord injuries, and dogs usually appear to be exercising vigorously at the time of onset. ANNPE has a characteristic peracute onset of clinical signs during exercise or following trauma, with non-progressive signs [...] Read more.
Acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE) is related to contusive spinal cord injuries, and dogs usually appear to be exercising vigorously at the time of onset. ANNPE has a characteristic peracute onset of clinical signs during exercise or following trauma, with non-progressive signs during the first 24 h and possibly signs of spinal shock. The main aim was to assess if the presence of spinal shock affects the neurorehabilitation outcomes of ANNPE dogs. This prospective controlled cohort clinical study was conducted at the Arrábida Rehabilitation Center. All of the dogs had T3–L3 injuries and were paraplegic/monoplegic with/without nociception, the study group (n = 14) included dogs with ANNPE spinal shock dogs, and the control group (n = 19) included ANNPE dogs without spinal shock. The study group was also evaluated using a new scale—the Spinal Shock Scale (SSS)—and both groups were under the same intensive neurorehabilitation protocol. Spinal shock was a negative factor for a successful outcome within less time. SSS scores > 4 required additional hospitalization days. The protocol was safe, tolerable, and feasible and accomplished 32% ambulation within 7 days, 29% in 14 days, and 29% in 30 days. The results were better than those obtained in previous studies—94% at 60 days—and 75% of the dogs without nociception recovered ambulation. Long-term follows-ups carried out 4 years later revealed a positive evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals)
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Review

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17 pages, 2198 KiB  
Review
Approach to Small Animal Neurorehabilitation by Locomotor Training: An Update
by Débora Gouveia, Ana Cardoso, Carla Carvalho, António Almeida, Óscar Gamboa, António Ferreira and Ângela Martins
Animals 2022, 12(24), 3582; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12243582 - 18 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2562
Abstract
Neurorehabilitation has a wide range of therapies to achieve neural regeneration, reorganization, and repair (e.g., axon regeneration, remyelination, and restoration of spinal circuits and networks) to achieve ambulation for dogs and cats, especially for grade 1 (modified Frankel scale) with signs of spinal [...] Read more.
Neurorehabilitation has a wide range of therapies to achieve neural regeneration, reorganization, and repair (e.g., axon regeneration, remyelination, and restoration of spinal circuits and networks) to achieve ambulation for dogs and cats, especially for grade 1 (modified Frankel scale) with signs of spinal shock or grade 0 (deep pain negative), similar to humans classified with ASIA A lesions. This review aims to explain what locomotor training is, its importance, its feasibility within a clinical setting, and some possible protocols for motor recovery, achieving ambulation with coordinated and modulated movements. In addition, it cites some of the primary key points that must be present in the daily lives of veterinarians or rehabilitation nurses. These can be the guidelines to improve this exciting exercise necessary to achieve ambulation with quality of life. However, more research is essential in the future years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research Advances in Intensive Neurorehabilitation in Companion Animals)
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