Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is correlated to alterations in liver and spleen elasticity. Forty-eight brachycephalic and 22 mesocephalic dogs were submitted to a BOAS functional assessment, laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasound and liver and spleen Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) elastography. Dogs clinically affected by BOAS had higher values of liver stiffness (p < 0.001) than healthy dogs: medial lobes (1.57 ± 0.37 m/s), left and right lateral lobes (1.54 ± 0.50 m/s, 1.23 ± 0.28 m/s, respectively) and caudate lobe (1.28 ± 0.42 m/s). Compared to the mesocephalic group, the brachycephalic group (BOAS clinically affected and unaffected dogs) had higher spleen (2.51 ± 0.45 m/s; p < 0.001) and liver stiffness (p < 0.001): medial lobes (1.53 ± 0.37 m/s), left and right lateral lobes (1.47 ± 0.47 m/s, 1.20 ± 0.30 m/s, respectively) and caudate lobe (1.23 ± 0.40 m/s). Principal component analysis explained 70% of the variances composed by liver stiffness increase, erythrocytes and alanine aminotransferase reduction. Brachycephalic dogs had higher spleen and liver stiffness and a subacute inflammatory state, which represent another BOAS systemic effect. Consequently, these dogs can be at higher risk of hepatic disorders compared with mesocephalic dogs, similarly to humans affected by sleep apnea syndrome.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is correlated to alterations in liver and spleen elasticity
Named as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), this syndrome is recognized as similar to the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in humans, and brachycephalic dogs are described as OSA scientific models due to the apnea episodes awake and during s leep[6]
Normal values of liver and spleen stiffness in healthy meso and dolichocephalic dogs measured by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) elastography are already reported in the literature[37,38] and recently higher values of liver stiffness were described in humans affected by severe OSA30
Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is correlated to alterations in liver and spleen elasticity. Brachycephalic dogs had higher spleen and liver stiffness and a subacute inflammatory state, which represent another BOAS systemic effect These dogs can be at higher risk of hepatic disorders compared with mesocephalic dogs, to humans affected by sleep apnea syndrome. Significant lower levels of arterial hemoglobin saturation by oxygen was reported in BOAS affected dogs[7,8] and represent a feature of hypoxemia in these dogs Upon this precept, patients affected by these syndromes suffer from an intermittent chronic hypoxemia that leads to inflammatory and metabolic d ysfunctions[6,8,9,10]. Epidemiologic data regarding hepatic and splenic disorders are absent, as well as if these disorders could be a complication of the intermittent chronic hypoxemia in brachycephalic dogs
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