Narrow airway areas in pugs and French bulldogs with breathing issues

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the nasopharyngeal airway dimensions of two brachycephalic breeds and to localize the area of smallest airway dimensions. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, descriptive, computed tomographic imaging study. ANIMALS: Thirty pugs and 30 French bulldogs with brachycephalic upper airway syndrome. METHODS: The thickness and length of the soft palate, cross-sectional area of the airway passage dorsal to the soft and hard palates, and cross-sectional area of the frontal sinus were measured and normalized to each dog's skull index and body weight before statistical comparison between breeds. Nasopharyngeal turbinates and surrounding airway space, and a possible relationship between the canine tooth angulation and the severity of airway obstruction were assessed. RESULTS: Pugs had significantly smaller cross-sectional areas of the airway dorsal to the soft and hard palates than French bulldogs. In both breeds, the smallest nasopharyngeal cross-sectional areas were located dorsal to the caudal end of the soft palate. The soft palate of pugs was significantly shorter than that of French bulldogs and also significantly thinner when normalized to each dog's skull index. Pugs more commonly exhibited nasopharyngeal turbinates. Pugs had significantly smaller air-filled cavities at the location of the frontal sinus. No correlation between the nasopharyngeal dimensions and canine tooth angulation was observed. CONCLUSION: Computed tomographic assessment of the upper airway morphology showed the smallest nasopharyngeal cross-sectional areas were located dorsal to the caudal end of the soft palate in both breeds. Pugs had a smaller nasopharyngeal cross-sectional area despite smaller soft palate dimensions than French bulldogs.