AUTHOR=Pilegaard Anders M. , Berendt Mette , Holst Pernille , Møller Arne , McEvoy Fintan J. TITLE=Effect of Skull Type on the Relative Size of Cerebral Cortex and Lateral Ventricles in Dogs JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=4 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00030 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2017.00030 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=

Volume measurements of the brain are of interest in the diagnosis of brain pathology. This is particularly so in the investigation hydrocephalus and canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD), both of which result in thinning of the cerebral cortex and enlarged ventricles. Volume assessment can be made using computed tomography or more usually magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is, however, some uncertainty in the interpretation of such volume data due to the great variation in skull size and shape seen in dog. In this retrospective study, we examined normal MRI images from 63 dogs <6 years of age. We used a continuous variable, the cranial index (CrI) to indicate skull shape and compared it with MRI volume measurements derived using Cavalieri’s principle. We found a negative correlation between CrI and the ratio of cortical to ventricular volume. Breeds with a high CrI (large laterolateral compared to rostrocaudal cranial cavity dimension) had a smaller ratio of cortical to ventricular volume (low C:V ratio) than breeds with lower CrI skull types. It is important to consider this effect of skull shape on the relative volume estimates of the cerebral cortex and ventricles when trying to establish if pathology is present.