Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using infrared thermal imaging to detect syringomyelia in Cavalier
By M. Larkin et al.·Published in BMC Veterinary Research·2020·Department of Surgery, Long Island Veterinary Specialists, GB·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Medical infrared thermal imaging of syringomyelia in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with Chiari-like Malformation (a skull shape issue) was evaluated for syringomyelia, a condition where fluid-filled cavities form in the spinal cord. Researchers used a special infrared camera to detect heat patterns that could indicate the presence of this condition. The imaging method showed a decent accuracy rate of about 70% for identifying syringomyelia in these dogs. This non-invasive test could help veterinarians screen for syringomyelia in affected breeds, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment options.
People also search for: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel syringomyelia symptoms · Chiari-like Malformation in dogs · infrared imaging for dog health issues
Abstract
Abstract Background Medical infrared thermal imaging (MITI) is a non-invasive imaging modality gaining popularity in the veterinary field. An infrared camera captures emission of heat and creates a color map in the form of a thermogram. Topical heat emission is influenced by localized disease processes as a result of autonomic nervous system imbalance. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of using thermography to identify changes in thermographic patterns associated with syringomyelia (SM) presence or absence in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) with Chiari-like Malformation (CLM). Results In CKCS with CLM, MITI was most accurate at a texture distance of 6. Optimizing imaging feature sets produced a highest accuracy of 69.9% (95% CI: 59.5–79.0%), with 81.3% sensitivity and 57.8% specificity for identifying the presence of syringomyelia. Conclusion Thermographic image analysis is a successful non-invasive, diagnostic test that can be used to screen for syringomyelia presence in a CKCS with CLM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02354-y