For more than 15 years, I’ve had a special interest in the definitive treatment of cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM or Wobbler Syndrome). The two most commonly recognized forms of the disease include the static form (young Great Danes and Mastiffs) and dynamic CSM (middle-aged Dobermans, Rottweilers and retrievers).
Over the past several years, I have been involved in development of a new surgical treatment that treats dynamic CSM in a much more physiological manner: cervical arthroplasty using an artificial disc developed by Dr. Filippo Adamo in California (see video below). I am the first veterinary neurosurgeon in the mid-Atlantic area to perform the procedure.
Not only do we feel this surgery provides a better outcome for dynamic CSM; it is less invasive, requires minimal post-op care and hospitalization, reduces post-op pain and discomfort, has a lower mortality rate and a lower cost to the owners. Some dogs that are ambulatory when they come in can be operated on as outpatients.