Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cardiothoracic ratio helps check heart size in German shepherd dogs
By Torad, Faisal A & Hassan, Elham A·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2014·Department of Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Two-dimensional cardiothoracic ratio for evaluation of cardiac size in German shepherd dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how to measure heart size in German Shepherds using a method called the two-dimensional cardiothoracic ratio (CTR). This method helps determine if a dog's heart is too small (microcardia) or too large (cardiomegaly) by comparing the heart's size to the size of the chest. The researchers found specific CTR values that could help veterinarians diagnose these heart conditions in dogs. This tool can be useful for vets when assessing heart health in German Shepherds.
People also search for: German Shepherd heart size · dog cardiomegaly diagnosis · microcardia in dogs · heart problems in German Shepherds
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate cardiac size in normal German shepherd dogs (GSD) using the two-dimensional cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) and to use this measure for diagnosing GSD with altered cardiac size. ANIMALS: One hundred clinically normal GSD as well as 46 GSD with altered cardiac size (microcardia or cardiomegaly). METHODS: The CTR was computed as the percentage area of the cardiac silhouette relative to the area of the dog's thorax. Measurements were performed using a digital software program on lateral and ventro-dorsal radiographs at the points of peak inspiration and expiration. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the CTR for diagnosing cardiomegaly or microcardia. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) CTR on lateral radiographs of normal dogs was 27.60% ± 1.10% and 30.13% ± 1.42% at the points of peak inspiration and expiration, respectively. For ventro-dorsal radiographs, mean CTR was 30.45% ± 1.39% at peak inspiration and 33.34% ± 1.46% at peak expiration. The cutoff value of the CTR for diagnosing microcardia on lateral radiographs was 22.98% (inspiration) and 25.06% (expiration), compared to 25.03% (inspiration) and 23.97% (expiration) on ventro-dorsal radiographs. Cutoff values for diagnosing cardiomegaly were 30.28% (inspiration) and 33.44% (expiration) on lateral radiographs and 36.80% (inspiration) and 37.99% (expiration) on ventro-dorsal radiographs. CONCLUSIONS: CTR may provide a clinically useful tool for evaluating cardiac size in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25438928/