Evaluation of vhs (vertebral heart size) in the neonatal period in lambs

Abstract

Chest radiographic examination provides important information for the evaluation and diagnosis of primary and secondary cardiac diseases or alterations. The main objective of this project was to determine a reference value of VHS in the neonatal period at a time interval of one week of life. The method used for such an evaluation consists of a thoracic radiography in the latero-lateral position in which the measurement of the size is done in relation to the size of the heart with the unit of thoracic vertebrae of the animal. It was used 50 crossbred lambs in the neonatal period, which were submitted to radiography. They were positioned in right lateral decubitus with extended thoracic limbs in order to eliminate overlaps and to maintain the thoracic cavity symmetrical. With the radiographic image developed, the measurements of the long and short axis are determined with the help of a ruler in centimeters; they should be compared to the number of vertebrae they correspond to, thus adding them up and arriving at the value expressed in number of vertebrae. The data obtained were evaluated and arrived at the final result of 11,1 ± 0,4 vertebrae as a reference value of VHS in lambs up to one week old.