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Comparison of two classification protocols in the evaluation of elbow dysplasia in the dog
Author(s) -
Lang J.,
Busato A.,
Baumgartner D.,
Flückiger M.,
Weber U.Th.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1998.tb03625.x
Subject(s) - medicine , breed , elbow , incidence (geometry) , hip dysplasia , population , radiography , surgery , zoology , physics , environmental health , optics , biology
The incidence of elbow disease based solely on arthrosis (ARTH) score was compared with a protocol using a combination of ARTH score plus a score for primary lesions (ED score). The population of dogs studied included 425 Bernese mountain dogs and 22 dogs of other breeds. The overall agreement between the two systems was high. However, 12 per cent of ARTH‐score negative cases were positive using the ED score. This difference was statistically significant (P<0·005). The female:male ratio of the dogs missed using the ARTH score was 2:1. The proportion of dogs affected with arthrosis increased with age, male dogs being affected more frequently. The development of arthrosis depends not only on age and breed, but probably also on gender. Thus, screening for elbow dysplasia should be based on at least two radiographic projections, including arthrosis and primary lesions. As the vast majority of dogs in this study were Bernese mountain dogs, conclusions are valid only for this breed.