Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Evaluation of the relationship between Orthopedic Foundation for Animals' hip joint scores and PennHIP distraction index values in dogs.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Powers, Michelle Y et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at two ways to check for hip dysplasia, a common joint problem in dogs, using a large group of 439 dogs over two decades. The researchers found that while 14% of the dogs had excellent hip scores according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), more than half of those still showed signs of hip joint looseness when tested with the PennHIP method. In fact, a significant number of dogs with good or even fair hip scores also had similar issues. The findings suggest that the OFA method might not fully capture the risk of developing arthritis in dogs, which could make it harder to breed out hip dysplasia in the future. Overall, the study indicates that some dogs considered healthy by OFA standards may still have underlying joint problems.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare 2 screening methods for detecting evidence of hip dysplasia (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals [OFA] and PennHIP) in dogs. DESIGN: Diagnostic test evaluation study. Animals-439 dogs >or= 24 months of age that received routine hip joint screening from June 1987 through July 2008. PROCEDURES: Dogs were sedated, and PennHIP radiography was performed (hip joint- extended [HE], compression, and distraction radiographic views). The HE radiographic view was submitted for OFA evaluation. A copy of the HE radiographic view plus the compression and distraction radiographic views were submitted for routine PennHIP evaluation, including quantification of hip joint laxity via the distraction index (DI). RESULTS: 14% (60/439) of dogs had hip joints scored as excellent by OFA standards; however, 52% (31/60) of those had a DI >or= 0.30 (range, 0.14 to 0.61). Eighty-two percent of (183/223) dogs with OFA-rated good hip joints had a DI >or= 0.30 (range, 0.10 to 0.77), and 94% (79/84) of dogs with OFA-rated fair hip joints had a DI >or= 0.30 (range, 0.14 to 0.77). Of all dogs with fair to excellent hip joints by OFA standards, 80% (293/367) had a DI >or= 0.30. All dogs with OFA-rated borderline hip joints or mild, moderate, or severe hip dysplasia had a DI >or= 0.30 (range, 0.30 to 0.83). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dogs judged as phenotypically normal by the OFA harbored clinically important passive hip joint laxity as determined via distraction radiography. Results suggested that OFA scoring of HE radiographs underestimated susceptibility to osteoarthritis in dogs, which may impede progress in reducing or eliminating hip dysplasia through breeding.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20807130/