3D In Silico Analysis of Equine Cervical Spines Correlation with CT Diagnosed Sites of Cervical Spinal Cord Compression

Introduction: Cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) is one of the most common neurological abnormalities diagnosed in equids. The purpose of this study was to create a 3D part comparison analysis (3D-PCA) between 3D segmented spinal cords and the surrounding dura/vertebral canal of ataxic equine patients to determine the areas of narrowing between the spinal cord and the cervical vertebrae. We hypothesized that the 3D-PCA would identify the areas of spinal cord compression diagnosed on CTM.

Materials and Methods: CTM scans of the cervical spine were obtained from ataxic horses presenting to multiple practices. Materialise Mimics were used to segment the cervical spines into 3D models. Materialise 3-Matic was used to perform a 3D-PCA between the spinal cord and the fused dura/vertebral canal. The results were compared with the locations of spinal cord compression diagnosed on CTM.

Results: The 3D-PCA showed narrowing of the space between the spinal cord and the cervical vertebrae at the site of diagnosed spinal cord compression in 8/9 cases. Four out of eight of these cases showed focal narrowing at the sites of spinal cord compression. Seven out of nine of the cases exhibited diffuse narrowing along the caudal spinal cord.

Discussion/Conclusion: Our results support that a 3D-PCA can identify sites of spinal cord compression but can also show additional sites of narrowing that may or may not be clinically relevant. The main limitations of this study include its retrospective nature and small sample size. Future studies are needed to show how utilizing 3D segmentation of cervical spines can aid in evaluating the degree of spinal cord compression.

Acknowledgment

None.

Publication History

Article published online:
15 July 2025