Evaluation of three techniques of ventral decompression of the cervical spinal cord in the dog.

Three techniques for ventral decompression of the cervical spinal cord were performed on 21 dogs (3 groups of 7 dogs each). The techniques involved cutting various-sized defects in the vertebral bodies and disks of the cervical vertebral column. The defects were not filled with bone grafts. Two of the 3 techniques (short, wide defect and long, narrow defect) were successful, and the other technique (long, wide defect) gave questionable results.