Computed Radiographic (CR) assessment of cardiac size in German shepherd dogs
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Authors
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Usha Kumari Ninama
Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner-334001 (Rajasthan)
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Satyaveer Singh
Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner-334001 (Rajasthan)
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Nirmal Kumar Jeph
Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner-334001 (Rajasthan)
Keywords:
Cardiac size, Computerized radiography (CR), German shepherd dogAbstract
Thoracic radiography is a very useful diagnostic technique, which allows a fast and non-invasive assessment to obtain valuable information on the cardiac silhouette. Objective assessment of different cardiac parameters can be helpful for diagnosing cardiac disorders in canines where echocardiography is not readily available. So, the present study was designed for objective assessment of cardiac parameters, and their correlation with age and body weight in German shepherd dogs using Computed Radiography. Different cardiac parameters viz. vertebral heart score, cardio-thoracic ratio, cardiac sphericity index, vertebral left atrial size, radiographic left atrial dimension, and manubrium heart score were measured radiographically in client owned 30 healthy German shepherd dogs in right and left lateral recumbency using standard procedures. Reference values of various cardiac parameters were recorded and correlated with age and body weight. Alteration in these reference values has the future scope for utility in diagnosis of cardiac affections in German shepherd dogs.
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