Evaluation of the biomarker of the prognosis in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease

犬进行性脊髓软化症（PM）是继急性胸腰椎间盘突出症（IVDH）后发生的致死性疾病。因此，为了确定治疗策略，重要的是要评估IVDH早期阶段在PM时恶化的可能性。然而，评价PM产生可能性的确定因素并不存在。本研究观察了急性胸腰椎IVDH犬血清基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）活性的变化。结果表明，PM组血清MMP活性明显高于健康犬。PM组血清MMP活性也明显高于无深度疼痛（V级; GV）的IVDH组。根据这些结果，提出了血清中MMP活性值可用作PM产生的评价因素的可能性。

Canine progressive myelomalacia (PM) is a death-dealing disease which happen in succession to acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc hernia (IVDH). Therefore, in order to determine a treatment policy, it is important to evaluate a possibility that in early stages of IVDH comes worse at PM. However, the sure factor for evaluating the possibility of PM generating does not exist. In this study, the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in serum of acute thoracolumbar IVDH dogs was evaluated. As a result, the serum MMP activity of PM case was increased than that of the healthy dog significantly. The MMP activity in serum of PM case was also increased than that of IVDH cases without deep pain (Grade V; GV) significantly. From these results, a possibility that the MMP activity value in serum would be applicable as an evaluation factor of PM generating was suggested.