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METHODS article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Imaging
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1394291
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced Imaging Methods in Exotic and Wildlife Animals View all 9 articles

RATTUS (Rat Thoracic Ultrasound): diagnosis of pneumothorax in pet rats

Provisionally accepted
Anna Piskovská Anna Piskovská 1,2*Katarzyna Kraszewska Katarzyna Kraszewska 3Karel Hauptman Karel Hauptman 2Jan Chloupek Jan Chloupek 1Vladimír Jekl Vladimír Jekl 1,2Petr Linhart Petr Linhart 1
  • 1 VETUNI, Brno, Brno, Czechia
  • 2 Veterinary Clinic Jekl and Hauptman, Brno, Olomouc, Czechia
  • 3 Vetcardia, Warsaw, Masovian, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Rat thoracic ultrasound (RATTUS) is a non-invasive, easy-to-perform method for the evaluation of the pleural space and lungs in pet rats. The aim of the article is to present species-specific differences in the sonographic diagnosis of pneumothorax (PTX) in pet rats. In total, 158 client-owned pet rats were examined during the period from July 2023 to January 2024. PTX was diagnosed in 20 of the examined rats (13.25 %, the age of the animals ranged from 2 months to 32 months (19.08±6.93 months; mean±SD) and their body weight ranged from 97 g to 885 g (461.27±138.97 g; mean±SD). Radiographic confirmation of PTX was performed in all these 20 rats, in the control group radiography was used to confirm that PTX was not present. The lung point and the barcode sign was found in 7/20 animals with sensitivity of 33.3 % (95% CI, 0.16-0.59) and specificity of 100 % (95% CI, 0.97-1.0). The abnormal curtain sign was found in 19/20 of animals with the sensitivity of 95 % (95 % CI, 0.73-0.99.7) and the specificity of 89 % (95% CI, 0.82-0.93). The abnormalities in the substernal access were in 17/20 of animals with the sensitivity of 85 % (95% CI, 0.61-0.96) and the specificity of 71 % (95% CI, 0.62-0.78). In conclusion, RATTUS is a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of PTX in rats. Lung point and barcode sign are specific but not easily diagnosed signs. The curtain sign in RATTUS is not specific for PTX, as there are e.g. geriatric rats (rats older than 1,5 years) in which the abnormal curtain sign is visible without the presence of PTX. The presence of moderate to severe PTX can be assessed by the substernal approach based on the presence of cardiac displacement toward the collapsed lung lobe, and on evaluation of the lung inflation symmetry. This sign is not specific for PTX but in conjunction with other ultrasonic signs described makes the RATTUS a feasible tool for PTX diagnosis in rats.

    Keywords: rat, RATTUS pneumothorax, Thoracic disease, Respiratory disorders, Dyspnoea, Ultrasonography

    Received: 01 Mar 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Piskovská, Kraszewska, Hauptman, Chloupek, Jekl and Linhart. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Anna Piskovská, VETUNI, Brno, Brno, Czechia

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