[Canine Elbow Humeroulnar Incongruity Measurements Using Computed Tomography]

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Radiology
• Comparative Orthopedics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Elbow joint incongruity is a common issue in dogs, often associated with elbow dysplasia.
• Accurate assessment of humeroulnar incongruity (HUI) is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
• Computed tomography (CT) offers advanced imaging capabilities for evaluating complex joint structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the repeatability and reproducibility of quantitative (subluxation index) and subjective evaluations of elbow humeroulnar incongruity (HUI).
• To assess these evaluation methods using computed tomography (CT) in an in vivo canine model.

Main Methods:

• Fifty canine elbow joints (100 total) were evaluated using CT scans under sedation.
• Humeroulnar incongruity (HUI) was assessed via subjective joint space width and a quantitative subluxation index (SI) on sagittal multiplanar reconstructions (MPR).
• Two evaluators assessed HUI twice, with a one-month interval, analyzed using ANOVA and Cohen's kappa coefficient.

Main Results:

• While single-evaluator measurements showed high agreement for both methods, inter-evaluator agreement was significantly better for subjective HUI (mean to substantial agreement, Kappa = 0.53-0.79) compared to the SI (p < 0.05).
• Repeatability was high for both quantitative and subjective HUI assessments by the same evaluator.
• The subluxation index (SI) values differed significantly between the two evaluators.

Conclusions:

• Dogs serve as a suitable model for studying elbow humeroulnar incongruity (HUI) due to the high incidence of related elbow dysplasia.
• Quantitative assessment of HUI using the subluxation index (SI) does not offer superior inter-evaluator agreement compared to subjective evaluation.
• Subjective HUI assessment demonstrates reliable repeatability and reproducibility in canine elbow CT studies.