How does cervical (neck region) IVDD differ from thoracolumbar (lower back region) IVDD?
Cervical disk disease accounts for approximately 15% of the Type 1 IVDD cases. Thoracolumbar disk herniation is responsible for the other 85% of cases in small dogs. There is more space in the cervical spinal canal around the spinal cord than there is in the thoracolumbar canal. This characteristic means that cervical disk herniation only very rarely causes compression of the spinal cord that is severe enough to result in neurologic deficits. Pain is the hallmark of cervical IVDD. Conservative medical therapy for IVDD is similar to that used for thoracolumbar IVDD, but may not be as successful. Unremitting pain is the primary indication for surgery in cervical IVDD. Cervical IVDD like thoracolumbar IVDD is also divided into Hansen Types 1 & 2 corresponding to small chondrodystrophic breeds with disk extrusions (Type 1) and large breed dogs who have scarred annulus fibrosis (Type 2 disease and Wobblers Disease). Surgical therapy for small chondrodystrophic breeds affected with cervical
