Anatomical and histological characterization of the filum terminale in dogs
Posporis, Christoforos (Pride Veterinary Referrals)
Espinosa, Javier (Pride Veterinary Referrals)
Pumarola i Batlle, Martí (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Blasco, Ester (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Alomar, Jaume (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Santifort, Koen (Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, Independent Vetcare (IVC) Evidensia, Dierenziekenhuis Hart van Brabant)
De Decker, Steven (University of London. Royal Veterinary College)
Lam, Karol (Pride Veterinary Referrals)
Mínguez, Juan José (Pride Veterinary Referrals)
Álvarez, Patricia (Pride Veterinary Referrals)
Aige Gil, Vicente (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)

Data:	2025
Resum:	The filum terminale (FT) remains poorly characterized in the veterinary literature, limiting understanding of its role in spinal cord and nerve root pathologies such as tethered cord syndrome. This study aimed to establish baseline anatomical and histological features of the FT in neurologically normal dogs. Eight adult canine cadavers euthanized for non-neurological reasons were examined. Dissection was performed via dorsal laminectomy (n = 4) and midline sectioning (n = 4). Histological analysis (n = 4) included hematoxylin and eosin, Klüver-Barrera, Masson's trichrome, and Verhoeff-Van Gieson stains, alongside immunohistochemistry for neuron-specific enolase, protein gene product 9. 5, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Grossly, the FT was identified as a direct continuation of the conus medullaris within the region of the vertebral canal at L6, extending caudally to form two segments: a cranial portion within the subarachnoid space of the dural sac (filum terminale internum, FTi) and a caudal portion beyond the dural sac, enclosed by the inner dural layer without intervening subarachnoid space (filum terminale externum, FTe). The dural sac terminated at the level of mid-sacrum, with the FTe extending further caudally to insert dorsally between the first and second caudal vertebrae. The FT was accompanied by a ventral artery and vein. Histologically, the FT retained vestigial spinal cord cytoarchitecture, including an irregular, folded central canal with ependymal lining, a subependymal astrocytic layer, gray matter with scattered neurons and glial cells, and peripheral white matter with myelinated axons. The central canal and the neuronal and glial elements progressively diminished caudally as the FT transitioned to collagenous tissue interspersed with sparse residual nerve fibers. Verhoeff-Van Gieson staining revealed minimal elastic fibers within the collagen matrix. This study presents the first comprehensive anatomical and histological characterization of the normal canine FT, establishing baseline reference data to facilitate the identification of pathomorphological alterations associated with disorders involving this structure, such as tethered cord syndrome.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Dural sac ; Conus medullaris ; Ependyma ; Neurons ; Glia ; Collagen ; Tethered cord
Publicat a:	Frontiers in veterinary science, Vol. 12 (july 2025) , ISSN 2297-1769

DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1650893
PMID: 40777825

14 p, 7.4 MB

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