The relationship between the size of caudolateral curvilinear osteophyte of the canine femoral neck and the radiographic view

Caudolateral curvilinear osteophyte (CCO), an osteophyte at the site of joint capsule attachment on the caudal aspect of the femoral neck, has been advocated as a radiographic criterion for coxofemoral subluxation. The correlation between the presence of CCO on radiographs (radiographic-CCO), the size of the CCO (CCO index) on three-dimensional computed tomographic (CT) images, and hip evaluation using transverse CT images was assessed in 22 Border Collies. CCOs were detected on the radiographs and CT images of 32% and 100% femurs, respectively. The CCO index correlated significantly with radiographic-CCO, but a large CCO index did not necessarily imply that the CCO was visible on radiographs. Hence, radiographic-CCO findings should be used cautiously in hip evaluation of Border Collies.

Freqüência da displasia coxofemoral em cães da raça Pastor Alemão / Frequency of hip dysplasia in German Shepherd dogs

One hundred twenty-three radiographs of German Shepherd dogs (47 females and 76 males) from Military Police of Minas Gerais State were studied from April 2001 to july 2004, with the purpose of establishing the frequency and asymmetry of hip displasia. The radiographs were taken with the animals in the ventrodorsal position, with the limbs parallel and the pelvis symmetric. The average age of the dogs was 33.8±23.5 months-old. The study indicated that 89.4 percent of them had hip dysplasia (91.5 percent of females and 88.2 percent of males), being 6.3 percent unilateral, 17.3 percent bilateral asymmetric, and 76.4 percent bilateral symmetric. The frequency of hip displasia in the studied population was high, indicating the necessity of an efficient control program of the disease.