Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Trachea and carina widening on X-rays linked to laryngeal paralysis
By Natsume, Rachel E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·1BluePearl Pet Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radiographic tracheal and carina distension is associated with diagnosis of laryngeal paralysis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis after showing signs of breathing difficulties and noisy breathing. Radiographs (X-rays) were taken to measure the size of the trachea, and the results indicated that certain size ratios were significantly larger in dogs with this condition. These measurements can help veterinarians identify laryngeal paralysis more accurately in dogs. The Labrador's treatment plan would typically include medications or surgery to help manage the symptoms and improve breathing.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · laryngeal paralysis in dogs · Labrador noisy breathing treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether radiographic carina distension is a potential diagnostic indicator of laryngeal paralysis (LP) in dogs. METHODS: Dogs diagnosed with LP on upper airway examination at a veterinary specialty hospital were retrospectively identified if they underwent orthogonal thoracic radiographic evaluation between January 2013 and January 2024. Each case was matched 1:1 with similar patients without underlying cardiorespiratory disease that underwent orthogonal thoracic radiographic evaluation. The thoracic inlet (TI), intrathoracic (TT), and carina tracheal diameters (CD) as well as the width of the proximal third rib (3R) were measured with picture archiving and communication system software for each lateral projection of preoperative radiographs. The TT:TI, TT:3R, TI:CD, TT:CD, CD:3R, and TI:3R ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Mean (SD) CD:3R, TT:3R, and TI:3R ratios were significantly higher in dogs with LP. The mean (SD) ratio for LP dogs and non-LP control dogs was 3.16 (0.61) and 1.94 (0.21) for CD:3R, 2.81 (0.56) and 1.71 (0.21) for TT:3R, and 2.55 (0.52) and 1.55 (0.20) for TI:3R. For every 0.10 increase in the ratio, the odds of a dog having LP increased by 1.87 times for CD:3R (95% CI, 1.54 to 2.4), 2.1 times for TT:3R (95% CI, 1.68 to 2.8), and 2.2 times for TI:3R (95% CI, 1.74 to 3.1). The area under the receiver operator characteristics curve was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.00), 0.98 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.00), and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.00) for CD:3R, TT:3R, and TI:3R, respectively, indicating outstanding diagnostic discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Tracheal diameter ratios of 2.3 (CD:3R), 1.9 (TT:3R), and 1.9 (TI:3R) or greater were associated with LP in dogs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Tracheal and carina diameter ratios may help guide ancillary diagnostic testing in cases of suspected LP.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40523629/