Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiographic spine ratios to detect Wobbler syndrome in Great Danes
By Martin-Vaquero, Paula & da Costa, Ronaldo C·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2014·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of traditional and novel radiographic vertebral ratios in Great Danes with versus without cervical spondylomyelopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Great Danes with suspected Wobbler syndrome (cervical spondylomyelopathy) underwent X-rays to see if new measurement methods could help identify spinal cord compression. The study found that a specific new measurement called the ventrodorsal ratio was significantly smaller in affected dogs at certain neck vertebrae, indicating a higher chance of spinal cord issues. This new method could be a helpful tool for vets to screen Great Danes for this condition before more invasive tests like MRI.
People also search for: Great Dane Wobbler syndrome symptoms · cervical spondylomyelopathy treatment · dog spinal cord compression signs
Abstract
Great Danes are predisposed to osseous-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy (Wobbler syndrome). The first aim of this prospective study was to compare values measured using previously published intravertebral and intervertebral ratio methods and a novel ventrodorsal ratio method in radiographs of clinically normal and affected Great Danes. The second aim was to determine whether these ratios could be used as predictors of sites of spinal cord compression based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirty dogs (15 normal, 15 affected) were prospectively enrolled. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs were obtained and six measurements were recorded from C3-T1. For each vertebral location, intravertebral ratios and intervertebral ratios were calculated from lateral views, and the ratio of the distance between the articular process joints vs. vertebral body width (novel ventrodorsal ratio) was calculated from ventrodorsal views. Values for these three ratios were compared, by vertebral location and dog group. Intravertebral and intervertebral ratios did not differ between dog groups. The ventrodorsal ratio was significantly smaller in affected Great Danes at C5-6 (P = 0.005) and C6-7 (P < 0.001). The ventrodorsal ratio was significantly associated with MRI presence of spinal cord compression. For each 0.1 unit increase in this ratio value, there was a 65% decrease in the odds of spinal cord compression being present at that site, independent of vertebral location (P = 0.002). Findings from this study supported use of the novel ventrodorsal ratio as an initial radiographic screening method for Great Danes with suspected cervical spondylomyelopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24698393/