Acupuncture treatment for thoracolumbar spine injuries in dogs - retrospective study (2009 - 2013)

• Grant number: 14/11274-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna
• Grantee: Jeniffer Gabriela Figueroa Coris
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Conventional treatment for thoracolumbar lesions in dogs may be clinical or surgical, depending on the degree of injury. There is a strong evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in treating thoracolumbar lesions, to reduce pain and improve sensory and motor functions. Based on the hypothesis that acupuncture is similar or superior than surgery to treat thoracolumbar disc disease in dogs, the aim of this retrospective study is to compare the effects of acupuncture against surgery, based on a survey of clinical cases of dogs treated with both techniques at the FMVZ-Unesp/Botucatu -. SP from October 2009 to October 2013. Descriptive analysis with percentage of occurrence will be used for each information categor. The results before treatment versus the clinical evolution over time will be compared, from a structured database with tables and fields to ensure the quality of analysis. Descriptive statistics will be produced to characterize the population included in the study. The frequency distribution will be performed to describe the cases and the chi-square or Fisher tests will be used to investigate the correlations between 1) the severity of cases and characteristics of animals such as weight, age, breed and sex, and 2) the severity of cases and type of treatment used. The McNemar test will be used to compare: 1) proportion of cured animals and 2) the proportion of reversal of each neurological abnormality between the initial and the final moments. Kaplan-Meier will be used to compare the duration of treatment and the severity scores and medical discharge. The analysis will be performed using SAS 9.3 software at a significance level of 0.0.5.