Prophylactic Effect of Fenestration on the Recurrence of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dogs

This systematic review aimed to assess the effect of prophylactic fenestration (PF) on the recurrence of thoracolumbar (TL) intervertebral disc (IVD) disease in dogs. Three online databases were searched (Web of Science, MEDLINE via PubMed, SCOPUS), 115 relevant studies were thoroughly examined by the authors, 29 of which met the pre-defined inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Data about the initial treatment, the performance of PF, the incidence of recurrence, and the site of recurrence were extracted. Most of the studies were deemed to have serious to moderate risk of bias. Out of 5457 dogs, 1264 underwent prophylactic fenestration. A total of 504 cases of suspected or confirmed recurrence were recorded, in which 164 (32.54% of total recurrences and 11.02% of PF cases) were in dogs treated with PF. In order to perform quantitative analysis for the recurrence odds, we conducted a meta-analysis. Five studies were included that met the inclusion criteria. Despite a large number of relevant publications, the quality of the evidence they provide is low. This prevented us from reaching a definitive conclusion on the prophylactic effect of fenestration on recurrence in dogs surgically treated for TL IVDH.