Abstract
Pectus excavatum, thoracic spine deformities, tracheal hypoplasia and lateral heart displacement are frequently described in brachycephalic dog breeds. Pectus carinatum is described sporadically, although the authors' observations demonstrate that it may occur in certain brachycephalic dog breeds. It was hypothesised that dogs of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds carry a greater risk of these anomalies than normal-tailed brachycephalic breeds, and that there could a relation between the presence of pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum and thoracic spine deformities, tracheal hypoplasia and lateral heart displacement. During retrospective studies, these anomalies were identified in lateral and dorso-ventral radiographs of the thorax in brachycephalic dog breeds. A statistical analysis revealed that the frequency of pectus excavatum occurrence in screw-tailed and normal-tailed brachycephalic dog breeds is similar. The greatest risk of pectus excavatum occurrence is carried by two breeds: Maltese (60%) and English Bulldog (58%), while for pectus carinatum: Pug (41%) and French Bulldog (18%). Dogs of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds carry a greater risk of kyphosis (p < 0.0001), tracheal hypoplasia occurrence (p < 0.0001), compared to "normal-tailed" breeds. The hypothesis concerning a relation between the presence of pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum and the other anomalies studied was not confirmed (p > 0.05). It was demonstrated that in dogs of brachycephalic breeds there was a greater risk of co-incidence between kyphosis of the thoracic spine and lateral heart displacement (p = 0.038), as well as kyphosis of the thoracic spine and tracheal hypoplasia (p = 0.003).
Highlights
Pectus excavatum (PE) is an anomaly of the chest wall, characterized by the dorsal deviation of the sternum and associated costal cartilages with subsequent a dorsoventral flattening of the entire thorax [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
It is interesting that these results demonstrated the risk of leftward heart displacement in dogs of brachycephalic breeds, as well as the presence of tracheal hypoplasia, is more likely related to the presence of kyphosis, and not PE
The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PE and Pectus carinatum (PC), thoracic spine deformities, tracheal hypoplasia, lateral heart displacement in screw-tailed and normal-tailed brachycephalic dog breeds
Summary
Pectus excavatum (PE) is an anomaly of the chest wall, characterized by the dorsal deviation of the sternum and associated costal cartilages with subsequent a dorsoventral flattening of the entire thorax [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. PE is classified as a congenital disorder, in 2012 Kurosawa reported an acquired form of PE in a 13 year old Labrador-Retriever [8]. This disorder is not frequently observed in animals, it is frequently reported in brachycephalic dog breeds. Pectus carinatum (PC) is characterized by protrusion of the sternum [2, 9]. It is a sporadically reported congenital disorder of the thoracic wall. Diagnosing PE and PC is based on clinical and radiological examinations [7, 9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
