Radiologic evaluation of thoracic size in the Nigerian indigenous dog by vertebral, haller and frontosagittal indices

Reproducible and easily applied measurements for radiologic evaluation are needed in the day-to-day clinical practice for diagnosis and treatment or  management of thoracic disorders in the Nigerian Indigenous Dog. The objective of this prospective cross-sectional study was to document  measurement indices used for the evaluation of canine thoracic silhouette. Thirty healthy Nigerian Indigenous Dogs, 10 puppies and 20 adults of average  body weight 8.19±2.45 kg and comprising equal number of both sexes. Ninety survey dorsoventral, right lateral and left lateral thoracic  radiographs of the animals were obtained. The shape of the thoracic silhouette in each radiograph was objectively evaluated and adequately described.  In the right and left lateral views, sternovertebral distance and sagittal vertebral diameter of the tenth vertebra were measured and recorded; while the  dimension measured in the dorsoventral view was costocostal distance. In the lateral radiographs, mean values of vertebral indices (VI) for right/left  lateral radiographs were 0.10±0.00/0.10±0.00, respectively. Results of normal thoracic silhouette determined in dorsoventral versus right lateral  orthogonal radiographs were: frontosagittal index (FSI) 1.06±0.05 and Haller index (HI) 0.95±0.04. The clinical relevance of this investigation is that it  provides measurement indices for the morphological evaluation of the thoracic silhouette in the Nigerian Indigenous Dog. These indices are  reproducible, objective and easy to apply in small animal clinical practice.