Changes in the creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities in cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with thoracolumbar disc disease

Ninety-seven dogs (49 males and 48 females) with thoracolumbar (TL) disc di sease which were treated at the Clinic of Surgery and Orthopedics at Univer sity of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brno from October 1997 ti ll the end of December 1998 were included in this study. A total of 142 cer ebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were evaluated. CSF from the cisterna magna (cisterna cerebellomedularis) was collected successfully in all 97 animals. Only 45 samples were obtained from lumbar subarachnoid space in the same p atients. The purpose of our study was to determine whether transverse myelo pathy due to TL disc protrusion/extrusion may cause elevation of CSF creati ne kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in dogs. Normal v alues of CSF CK (0.41 +/- 0.43 mu kat/l) and LDH (0.40 +/- 0.28 mu kat/l) a ctivities were determined in 23 healthy dogs. The highest normal enzyme act ivity was assessed as sigma(Delta 0.95) (mean + 2 SD). Activity of CSF CK g reater than or equal to 1.27 mu kat/l, and activity of CSF LDH greater than or equal to 0.96 mu kat/l were considered to be abnormal. Significant diff erences (Mann-Whitney U-test; p < 0.01) between activities of the two enzym es in the cerebrospinal fluid of healthy dogs and dogs with TL disc extrusi on (the mean CSF CK = 2.47 +/- 3.22 mu kat/l; the mean CSF LDH = 1.45 +/- 1 .98 mu kat/l) were found. CSF from lumbar and atlantooccipital punctures in 45 patients, in which both the samples were successfully collected, were a nalyzed and compared statistically. The mean CK activity of the lumbar CSF samples was 2.47 +/- 3.22 mu kat/l; the mean CK concentration of atlantoocc ipital CSF was 0.50 +/- 0.47 mu kat/l. The mean of lumbar CSF LDH activitie s was 1.45 +/- 1.98 mu kat/l; the mean of atlantooccipital CSF LDH values w as 0.34 +/- 0.32 mu kat/l. Statistical analysis (Wilcoxon matched-pairs sig ned-ranks test) indicated that differences in the CK and LDH concentrations between CSF samples obtained from the cisterna magna, and from lumbar suba rachnoid space were significant (p < 0.01). The dynamics of CSF CK and LDH activities in dogs with disc disease was assessed, as well. The mean of CSF CK activity taken on the first day of paraparesis/paraplegia was 1.47 +/- 1.22 mu kat/l. Creatine kinase in the cerebrospinal fluid had peaked at 48 hours after onset of clinical signs (3.84 +/- 4.95 mu kat/l). On the third and fourth days its activity had significantly decreased (p < 0.01) to 1.76 +/- 2.71 mu kat/l. A second peak was identified (p < 0.05) between day sev en and seventeen (3.80 +/- 3.23 mu kat/l). The mean LDH concentration in th e CSF on day one was 1.32 +/- 1.28 mu kat/l but its concentration increased significantly (p < 0.01) during the second day of clinical signs (2.36 +/- 3.38 mu kat/l). Mean LDH concentration decreased significantly (p < 0.01) on the third and the fourth days (0.80 +/- 0.33 mu kat/l) without a second peak of activity.