Dowdle S M, Joubert K E, Lambrechts N E, Lobetti R G, Pardini A D
Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
J S Afr Vet Assoc. 2003 Sep;74(3):77-81. doi: 10.4102/jsava.v74i3.515.
Endoscopy was used to determine the prevalence of subclinical gastroduodenal ulceration in 30 Dachshunds undergoing decompressive surgery for acute intervertebral disc prolapse. The endoscopy was performed on the day of admission and on the 3rd or 4th day after surgery. Three regions of the stomach (cardia, corpus and pylorus) and the proximal duodenum were visually inspected and biopsy samples were taken for histopathology. The combination of visual and microscopic changes were then used to determine the prevalence of subclinical gastroduodenal ulceration in this population. An overall prevalence of 76% was calculated from these findings. Ulcerogenic medication administered prior to admission did not appear to influence the prevalence. This result identifies a need for veterinarians to be aware of this potentially severe complication and warrants the use of prophylactic anti-ulcer medication in spinal surgery patients.
