Válega Ana, Alves-Pimenta Sofia, McEvoy Fintan J, Nielsen Dorte H, Ginja Mário
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
Department of Animal Science, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
Front Vet Sci. 2021 May 12;8:664532. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.664532. eCollection 2021.
Ulnar trochlear notch (UTN) subchondral bone sclerosis is observed in elbow dysplasia (ED) associated with the medial coronoid disease. However, its evaluation is based on a simple visual examiner assessment of bone radio-opacity level and is considered subjective. The purpose of this study was to objectively characterize the radiographic opacity of the ulnar trochlear notch (UTN) subchondral bone in mediolateral elbow projections classified, using the International Elbow Working Group guidelines. Records and mediolateral flexed elbow images from the Danish Kennel Club database for the ED screening scheme between 2012 and 2018 were available. Of the dogs in the database, those with an ED-negative status in the left limb were identified. From these, 20 dogs each having a status free from ED, or with Grade 1, 2, or 3 in the right limb, were randomly chosen. Joints with primary ununited anconeal process were excluded from the sample. A template was developed using the ImageJ software, for computer UTN sclerosis analysis. It was overlaid onto each image to define five regions of interest (ROIs): ROI-1, distal UTN; ROI-2, middle UTN; ROI-3, caudal UTN; ROI-4, cortical bone; and ROI-5, bone marrow. Mean pixel intensity for each UTN ROI was divided by the mean pixel intensity of ROI-4 to normalize the data. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the normalized pixel intensity in the disease joints (ED Grades 1, 2, and 3) was 1.18 ± 0.17, 1.03 ± 0.12, and 0.92 ± 0.09 for ROIs 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The corresponding values for the contralateral normal left joints were 1.16 ± 0.17, 1.01 ± 0.1, and 0.91 ± 0.08. There was a significant difference ( < 0.05) in the normalized mean pixel intensity in dysplastic vs. non-dysplastic elbow joints for ROIs 1 and 2. The raw mean pixel intensity from right and left cortical and marrow bone ROIs sometimes showed relatively large differences. Digital radiography is associated with exposure and post-processing variabilities. Differences in apparent radio-opacity (as indicated by pixel intensity) though statistically significant in dysplastic joints compared with contralateral normal joints are slight and are thus problematic for computer-aided assessments of UTN sclerosis.
在与内侧冠状突疾病相关的肘部发育异常（ED）中观察到尺骨滑车切迹（UTN）软骨下骨硬化。然而，其评估基于检查者对骨放射不透光水平的简单视觉评估，被认为具有主观性。本研究的目的是使用国际肘部工作组指南，客观地描述在内外侧肘部投照中分类的尺骨滑车切迹（UTN）软骨下骨的放射不透光情况。可获取丹麦养犬俱乐部数据库中2012年至2018年用于ED筛查方案的记录和肘部内外侧屈曲图像。在数据库中的犬只中，识别出左肢ED阴性的犬。从中随机选择20只右肢无ED、或患有1级、2级或3级ED的犬。样本中排除了原发性肘突未愈合的关节。使用ImageJ软件开发了一个模板，用于计算机UTN硬化分析。将其叠加在每张图像上以定义五个感兴趣区域（ROI）：ROI-1，UTN远端；ROI-2，UTN中部；ROI-3，UTN尾部；ROI-4，皮质骨；以及ROI-5，骨髓。将每个UTN ROI的平均像素强度除以ROI-4的平均像素强度以对数据进行归一化。疾病关节（ED 1级、2级和3级）中ROI 1、2和3的归一化像素强度的平均值±标准差（SD）分别为1.18±0.17、1.03±0.12和0.92±0.09。对侧正常左关节的相应值为1.16±0.17、1.01±0.1和0.91±
