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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Automated Joint Space Detection Improves Bone Segmentation Accuracy
Published on: November 28, 2025
Microcomputed tomographic comparison of the bony structure of the canine and feline carpus
Leo Goldstein1, Anja-Christina Waselau2, Yury Zablotski2
1Clinic for Small Animal Surgery and Reproduction, LMU, Veterinärstraße 13, Munich, Germany. leo.goldstein@lmu.de.
Background:
Feline carpal joint injuries pose a significant clinical challenge due to their complex anatomy and the limited evidence available to guide treatment decisions. A detailed understanding of the osseous microarchitecture is essential for improving surgical planning and therapeutic outcomes. A total of 80 carpal joints from 20 cats and 20 toy breed dogs were examined and compared using microcomputed tomography. The parameters bone volume (BV/TV), bone surface (BS/BV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), number of trabeculae (Tb.N), trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp), degree of anisotropy (DA) and connectivity density (Conn. D) were measured and compared. To classify the cortical structure, a three-staged scoring system was applied.
Results:
All carpal bones exhibited a cancellous structure. Overall, cats had fewer but thicker trabeculae than the toy-dogs in the analysed areas of the carpus, which resulted in a greater trabecular distance in cats. Cats also had a higher bone volume (BV/TV) and thicker cortex.
Conclusions:
There were significant differences in structure between dogs and cats which may be important when assessing carpal bone injuries.
