Ventral Slot

The ventral slot is a veterinary surgical technique used to decompress the spinal cord and nerve roots in dogs and cats by approaching the spine from the front, or ventral, side of the neck. It is used to treat centrally located intervertebral disc herniation causing pain or neurological deficits from spinal cord or nerve root compression, and requires a ventral approach because reaching a midline disc from behind would require shifting the spinal cord itself, risking paralysis. During the operation the surgeon makes a midline incision along the front of the neck, moves the surrounding blood vessels and soft tissue aside, and removes disc material and a portion of bone to create a vertical slot that relieves pressure on the spinal cord from the center outward and, if needed, from both sides where nerve roots are compressed; a spacer implant may be placed afterward to keep the vertebrae from collapsing together.