Examination of the vertebral heart scale and anatomical structure of different dog breeds by computed tomography

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the statistical difference by measuring the vertebral heart scale and anatomical structures of the heart in different dog breeds. The vertebral heart scale (VHS) has recently been described as a method for measuring the heart silhouettes of dogs and cats. Vertebral heart scale (VHS) may vary in dog and cat breeds due to age, weight, etc. Twenty-one dogs (10 males and 11 females) of different ages and weights were used. Among the dog breeds used are the French Bulldog, Russian Poodle, Rottweiler, Jack Russell, Golden Retriever, King Charles, Pekingese, Belgian Shepherd, Husky, Chihuahua, Cocker, Terrier, Bulldog, Bouvier and Flanders breeds. Multislice detectors were scanned at 80 kV, 200 MA, 639 mGY, and 0.625 mm slice thickness. The resulting images were saved in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. The obtained sections were measured in 3D-Slicer software. Thoracic height (TH) and cranial vena cava (CVC) measurement parameters were statistically significant with weight (P0.05). At the correlation table of animal weight with the measurements, it was seen that it had a very significant positive correlation with other measurement parameters except vertebral heart score (VHS) (P<0.01). Vertebral heart scale was determined as 9.09±1.37 vertebrae in females and 9.50±0.52 vertebrae in males. The study aims to contribute to veterinary anatomy, surgery and internal medicine.

Keywords

• computed tomography
• dog
• vertebral heart scale