Treatment of occipitoatlantoaxial malformation depends on the severity of the signs and symptoms. If the presentation is mild the treatment may be to strengthen the muscles of the neck. In moderate cases decompression of the spinal cord and stabilization of the AA joint may reduce the signs and symptoms, especially if the horse is of a non-Arabian breed. Euthanasia is recommended in sever cases where the foal is unable to stand and nurse and is at risk of developing pneumonia. Prognosis for individuals affected by occipitoatlantoaxial malformation is guarded to poor.
Cervical Vertebral Malformation (CVM)
Cervical vertebral malformation is a condition that can be caused by many factors resulting in a compression of the spinal cord that primarily causes lameness in the .
There are two types of CVM that are known to cause symptoms:
Cervical vertebral instability (CVI)/cervical vertebral malarticulation (CVM) Cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM)/cervical static stenosis (CSS)
CVM can be a congenital malformation or can be acquired due to trauma or developmental orthopaedic disease of the cervical vertebrae. are predisposed to CVM as the neck is weak and unstable leaving the vertebrae more vulnerable to injury and degeneration of the intervertebral joints. Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Quarter Horses are more commonly affected as they are predisposed to developmental orthopaedic disease. It also seems to be more prevalent in young males. Horses with long, thin All horses affected by CVM experience compression of the cervical spinal cord by the cervical vertebrae. This affects the conduction of impulses of the upper motor neurons. The neurons that supply the hind limb are most affected as these neurons are most in the cervical region of the spinal cord. In severe cases there may be compression of the neurons that supply the forelimb, and even the neck, in which case neurological deficit would be seen in these areas as well as in the hind limb. This is why CVM is more commonly known as Wobblers. Cervical vertebral insitibilty or malarticulation involves the articular surfaces of the cervical vertebrae. Lesions or malformation of the articular surface change the normal movement of the joint causing , subluxation or luxation that impinges on the cervical spinal cord. Acute trauma may also be the cause of subluxation or luxation even in horses with normal cervical vertebral articulations. This is also known as wobbers. of the vertebral canal, the canal the spinal cord travels through. The narrowing of this canal causes compression on the cervical spinal cord. This is also known as wobblers. Cervical stenotic myelopathy involves a congenital
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