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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1436299

Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel Method for Computed Tomography Quantification of Lumbosacral Articular Process Displacement in Dogs With and Without Degenerative

Provisionally accepted
Oscar Carballo Oscar Carballo 1Steven W. Frederick Steven W. Frederick 2*Deborah A. Keys Deborah A. Keys 3*Sarah A. Moore Sarah A. Moore 2James T. Giles James T. Giles 1*
  • 1 BluePearl Pet Hospital, San Antonio, TX, United States
  • 2 BluePearl Science, Tampa, FL, United States
  • 3 Kaleidoscope Statistics, LLC, Athens, GA, United States

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

    Objective: To describe the diagnostic discrimination and reliability of a novel technique for quantifying lumbosacral articular process displacement (LSAPD) on dorsal plane CT (DPCT) imaging in dogs with and without DLSS. Study Design: DPCT surveys of the lumbosacral vertebral column were performed with dogs positioned in extension and flexion. LSAPD was defined as the distance between the cranial aspects of the L7 and S1 articular processes. The LSAPD-ratio was identified by dividing the LSAPD by the length of the L7 articular process. Intraclass correlation coefficients for intra- and interobserver reliability were calculated, and logistic regressions were used to test for association of LSAPD and LSAPD-ratio with odds of DLSS. Significance was set at 0.05. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to determine diagnostic discrimination and optimal cutoff for LSAPD and LSAPD-ratio in the diagnosis of DLSS. Results: Intra- and interobserver reliabilities were excellent for most measurements. In the current cohort, excluding covariates, area under the curve (AUC) (95%CI) for LSAPD and LSAPD-ratio measured in a flexed position were both 0.89 (0.82-0.96) suggesting potentially excellent discrimination for utilizing this measurement as a marker for diagnosing DLSS pending further studies. The cut-offs for flexed LSAPD and LSAPD-ratio that maximizes Youden’s index was >1.2 mm and >9%, respectively. When age and weight were subsequently included as covariates in a multivariable analysis, a significant relationship between LSAPD or LSAPD-ratio and odds of diagnosis of DLSS was not demonstrated, suggesting the need for a larger sample size. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that measurements of LSAPD and LSAPD-ratios on DPCT are feasible and reliable, although their diagnostic discrimination in DLSS should be evaluated further in future prospective studies.

    Keywords: Degenerative lumbosacral stenosis1, computed tomography2, Lumbosacral3, lumbosacral articular process displacement4, Dynamic CT5

    Received: 21 May 2024; Accepted: 16 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Carballo, Frederick, Keys, Moore and Giles. 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:
    Steven W. Frederick, BluePearl Science, Tampa, FL, United States
    Deborah A. Keys, Kaleidoscope Statistics, LLC, Athens, GA, United States
    James T. Giles, BluePearl Pet Hospital, San Antonio, TX, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.