Department of Veterinary Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom.
North Downs Specialist Referrals, Bletchingley, United Kingdom.
J Vet Intern Med. 2019 Sep;33(5):2151-2159. doi: 10.1111/jvim.15556. Epub 2019 Aug 13.
Although thoracic hemivertebra can cause neurological signs, they occur commonly in neurologically normal dogs.
To evaluate whether computed tomography (CT) findings and factors associated with signalment can be used to differentiate between dogs with and without neurological signs associated with hemivertebra.
One hundred sixty dogs with ≥1 hemivertebrae were retrospectively studied. This group consisted of 40 dogs with clinical signs caused by hemivertebra and 40 French Bulldogs, 40 Pugs, and 40 English Bulldogs that underwent CT for reasons unrelated to neurological disease.
All dogs underwent CT and affected dogs also underwent magnetic resonance imaging. All CT studies were randomly evaluated by an observer blinded to signalment and clinical status. The following variables were evaluated: presence, number, location, and subtype of hemivertebra; presence of vertebral subluxation; severity of vertebral canal stenosis; presence, location, and severity of kyphosis, and number of vertebrae involved in the kyphotic segment. Statistical modeling was performed to identify factors associated with clinical status.
Pug breed (odds ration [OR], 10.8; P = .01), more severe kyphosis (OR, 1.1 per grade increase; P < .001), fewer instead of more observed hemivertebrae (OR, 0.8; P = 0.03), and ventrolateral hypoplasia hemivertebra subtype (OR, 4.0; P = .011) were associated with higher likelihood of neurological disease. A Cobb angle of 34.5 degrees corresponded with the highest combined sensitivity and specificity to differentiate between clinically affected and unaffected dogs.
The variables identified could aid in differentiating between clinically relevant and irrelevant hemivertebra in small breed brachycephalic dogs.
虽然胸段半椎体可引起神经症状，但它们常发生于神经功能正常的犬。
评估 CT 表现和与品种相关的因素是否可用于区分伴或不伴与半椎体相关神经症状的犬。
回顾性研究了 160 只存在≥1 个半椎体的犬。该组包括 40 只因半椎体引起临床症状的犬，以及 40 只法国斗牛犬、40 只八哥犬和 40 只英国斗牛犬，这些犬因与神经疾病无关的原因接受 CT 检查。
所有犬均接受 CT 检查，受影响的犬还接受磁共振成像检查。所有 CT 研究均由一位对品种和临床状态均不知情的观察者进行盲法评估。评估的变量包括：半椎体的存在、数量、位置和亚型；脊柱侧凸的存在；椎管狭窄的严重程度；脊柱后凸的存在、位置和严重程度，以及参与后凸节段的椎体数量。进行统计学建模以确定与临床状态相关的因素。
八哥犬品种（比值比[OR]，10.8；P =.01）、更严重的脊柱后凸（OR，每增加 1 度增加 1.1；P < .001）、观察到的半椎体数量减少而非增加（OR，0.8；P = 0.03），以及腹外侧发育不良型半椎体（OR，4.0；P =.011）与更高的发生神经疾病的可能性相关。34.5 度的 Cobb 角可最高程度地同时提高区分临床受影响和不受影响犬的敏感性和特异性。
确定的这些变量可帮助区分小型短头犬中与临床相关和不相关的半椎体。
