Thoracic Width Research Articles

Evaluation of Cardiologic Alterations in Radiographs of Dogs with Pneumonia Before and After Treatment

Pneumonia, a common respiratory disease in small animals, causes significant hypoxemia in dogs due to reduced lung capacity and cardiac output. In addition, pneumonia may lead to cardiac complications. With this approach, the evaluation of the alterations in cardiac silhouette and main vessel views in dogs underwent treatment for pneumonia aimed in this study. For this purpose, radiographic data from 28 dogs with pneumonia diagnosed and treated were analyzed. The study evaluated the cardiological views in radiographs of dogs with pneumonia before and after treatment. The measurements included left atrial size, long axis, short axis, 4th thoracic vertebra, aorta width, caudal vein cava width, and thoracic width. Pre-treatment and post-treatment radiographs showed no alteration in the long and short axes of VHS, 4th Thoracic Vertebra, aorta and caudal vena cava width, and thoracic width. But the left atrial size was observed to be larger in pre-treatment radiographs than in post-treatment ones. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was detected between LA and LA/TV4 in pre- and post-treatment measurements, as well as for measurement differences between pre- and post-treatment radiographs. As a consequence, the radiographs used to monitor the treatment process of pneumonia may give an alert for cardiac complications in dogs with pneumonia as a first line.

Prediction of the carcass tissue composition of “Blackbelly” lambs using in vivo and postmortem measurements

Objective. Predict the tissue carcass composition of “Blackbelly” lambs using in vivo and postmortem measurements. Materials and methods. Twenty lambs with an average age and weight of seven months and 29.07±2.88 kg, respectively, were used. Before slaughter, the subcutaneous fat thickness, depth, width and Longissimus dorsi muscle area were measured with ultrasonography. After slaughter, the cold carcass and tissues: muscle, fat and bone weight, were recorded. In the carcass, the thoracic depth, length, perimeter, length and width of the leg, as well as the compactness index, were also measured and recorded. Correlation analysis and regression models were used to predict tissue carcass composition. Results. The carcass tissues were correlated with L. dorsi muscle depth (p≤0.05; r-values ranged from 0.67 to 0.80) and carcass compactness index (p≤0.05; r ranged from 0.54 to 0.75). The r2 for the prediction equations of the carcass tissue composition ranged from 0.71 to 0.78 for fat (p≤0.001). Conclusions. The use of in vivo and postmortem measurements allowed the prediction of tissue carcass composition of lambs, with moderate to high accuracy (r2 >0.71≤ and ≤0.78).

Determination of normal radiographic indices of heart size in pigeon

Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are the most common health problems in pigeons which usually change cardiac size. The purpose of this study was to establish a normal radiographic reference value for cardiac size in pigeon. After clinical and radiographic (lateral and ventrodorsal views) evaluations of 27 adult pigeons, the indices below were measured; the cardiac and thoracic widths, the space between 3rd and 4th ribs on the left and right sides, the synsacrum width, the coracoids width on both sides and the distance between both femoral heads and clavicles distance. The ratio between cardiac width and the mentioned indices had been calculated. The correlation of anatomical indices with cardiac width was evaluated by linear regression test. The results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation of cardiac width with thoracic width, with the distance between femoral head, with synsacrum width and with the distance between clavicles. In regression models which showed a significant association between thoracic and synsacrum width with cardiac width, sex and weight factors were not correlated with cardiac width and therefore were removed from the models. However, in regression models where there was a significant correlation between the distance of both femoral heads and the distance between clavicles with cardiac width, sex factor was correlated with dependent variable and was not omitted from regression models. The results and values thus obtained from this study can be used as a normal cardiac size of pigeon in radiology for diagnosis of the cardiomegaly in this bird.

PREDICTING BODY WEIGHT THROUGH BIOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS IN BOLIVIAN LLAMAS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between body weight (BW) and different biometric measurements in llamas (Lama glama) from the Bolivian highlands and to generate prediction models of BW. A total of 515 individual records of BW and biometric measurements were used. The measurements were taken on 202 males and 313 females aged between 0.5 and 5 years, and included: neck length (NL), withers height (WH), rump height (RH), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), abdomen circumference (AC), rib depth (RD), hip width (HW), pin bone width (PBW), thoracic width (TW), and back length (BKL). The relationships between BW and biometric measurements were developed using simple linear and multiple regression. For the evaluation, the relationship between the observed and predicted values of BW was determined by linear regression, the mean squared error of prediction (MSEP) and root MSEP (RMSEP); concordance correlation coefficient analysis was also used. The BW ranged from 22 to 122 kg. Regression equations between BW, HG and RD had an r2 of 0.94 and 0.92, respectively (RMSEP= 6.06 and 6.70 kg, respectively). The equations were highly precise (r2 >0.86) and accurate (Cb>0.98), with a reproducibility index > 0.92. The model efficiency (MEF) indicated a higher efficiency of prediction (MEF ≥ 0.86). Using a single predictor, HG and RD accounted for more than 92% of the variation in BW. Overall, HG may be used as a single predictor to predict BW in llamas maintained under the conditions of the Bolivian highlands.

Impact of thoracic shape on the surgical outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted living donor hepatectomy.

Although laparoscopic-assisted donor hepatectomy (LADH) has become the definitive procedure for harvesting living donor livers, its surgical outcomes in association with donor body shape have not been elucidated. The impact of donor factors, including thoracic shape, on LADH outcomes was retrospectively investigated. Thoracic anthropometric data were examined in all LADHs with a left/right graft between 2013 and 2022. The study included 210 LADHs, consisting of 106 left- and 104 right-lobe donors with similar blood loss and similar operation time. Males have greater thoracic depth and greater thoracic width compared with females, respectively. Thoracic depth was associated with graft weight (p < 0.001), blood loss (p < 0.001), and operation time (p < 0.001). On multivariate analyses, blood loss >500 mL and operation time >8 h were associated with graft weight in the left-lobe donors, and blood loss >500 mL was associated with thoracic depth in the right-lobe donors. The greater thoracic depth is associated with massive blood loss in right-lobe donors. Anthropometric parameters might be helpful for estimating LADH outcomes.

Effect of thoracic cage width on surgery time and postoperative outcome in minimally invasive esophagectomy

IntroductionMinimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) for esophageal cancer is a complex procedure that reduces postoperative morbidity in comparison to open approach. In this study, thoracic cage width as a factor to predict surgical difficulty in MIE was evaluated.MethodsAll patients of our institution receiving either total MIE or robotic-assisted MIE (RAMIE) with intrathoracic anastomosis between February 2016 and April 2021 for esophageal cancer were included in this study. Right unilateral thoracic cage width on the level of vena azygos crossing the esophagus was measured by the horizontal distance between the esophagus and parietal pleura on preoperative computer tomography. Patients’ data as well as operative and postoperative details were collected in a prospective database. Correlation between thoracic cage width with duration of the thoracic procedure and postoperative complication rates was analyzed.ResultsOverall, 313 patients were eligible for this study. Thoracic width on vena azygos level ranged from 85 to 149 mm with a mean of 116.5 mm. In univariate analysis, a small thoracic width significantly correlated with longer duration of the thoracic procedure (p = 0.014). In multivariate analysis, small thoracic width and neoadjuvant therapy were identified as independent factors for long duration of the thoracic procedure (p = 0.006). Regarding postoperative complications, thoracic cage width was a significant risk factor for occurrence of postoperative pneumonia in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.045). Dividing the cohort into two groups of patients with narrow (≤ 107 mm, 19.5%) and wide thoraces (≥ 108 mm, 80.5%), the thoracic procedure was significantly prolonged by 17 min (204 min vs. 221 min, p = 0.014).ConclusionA small thoracic cage width is significantly correlated with longer operation time during thoracic phase of a MIE in Europe, which suggests increased surgical difficulty. Patients with small thoracic cage width may preferably be operated by MIE-experienced surgeons.Graphical abstract

Serial ultrasonographic measurements of fetal parameters over three successive pregnancies in a captive Eastern black-and-white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza).

This study provides ultrasonographic fetal growth charts for the Eastern black-and-white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza). Throughout three consecutive gestations (-162 to -2 days to parturition) in a single dam, we opportunistically obtained ultrasonographic measurements for the following parameters: biparietal diameter, head circumference, humerus length, femur length, tibia length, radius length, thoracic width, kidney length, and crown-rump length. Biparietal diameter was the most consistently measured parameter. First detection of fetuses occurred between 96 and 162 days before parturition. This report demonstrates that voluntary transabdominal ultrasound can be well-tolerated in the colobus monkey using operant conditioning. These findings may be useful to assess fetal development and predict parturition dates in the absence of a known conception date in this species.

Developing an automated skeletal phenotyping pipeline to leverage biobank-level medical imaging databases.

Collecting skeletal measurements from medical imaging databases remains a tedious task, limiting the research utility of biobank-level data. Here we present an automated phenotyping pipeline for obtaining skeletal measurements from DXA scans and compare its performance to manually collected measurements. A pipeline that extends the Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) framework was developed on 341 whole-body DXA scans of UK Biobank South Asian participants. A set of 10 measurements throughout the skeleton was automatically obtained via this process, and the performance of the method was tested on 20 additional DXA images by calculating percent error and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) for manual and automated measurements. Stature was then regressed on the automated femoral and tibia lengths and compared to published stature regressions to further assess the reliability of the automated measurements. Based on percent error and CCC, the performance of the automated measurements falls into three categories: poor (sacral and acetabular breadths), variable (trunk length, upper thoracic breadth, and innominate height), and high (maximum pelvic aperture breadth, bi-iliac breadth, femoral maximum length, and tibia length). Stature regression plots indicate that the automated measurements reflect realistic body proportions and appear consistent with published data reflecting these relationships in South Asian populations. Based on the performance of this pipeline, a subset of measurements can be reliably extracted from DXA scans, greatly expanding the utility of biobank-level data for biological anthropologists and medical researchers.

The Effect of Queen Cell Size Difference in Morphometrics of Bees Queen Apis cerana

The purpose of the study is to know the influence of Queen Cell’s queen on body length, weight, and length of the wing of the ApisCerana bee. The material used is the larvae of honey bees, honey, royal jelly, and queen's cells. The method used was a trial using a completely random design with three treatments in each with five repeats. The tested treatment is Queen Cell with small, medium, and large sizes. The variable measured is body length, weight, and the length of the queen bee wing. Data analyzed using variance analysis or ANOVA, and if there is a significant effect it will be continued with the double distance test of Duncan. The results showed that the different Queen Cell treatment gives a very significant effect (P &lt; 0.01) on each body weight with an average value is 57,30 ± 8,30; 68,20 ± 5,41 and 81,00 ± 7,42 mg, but on length of the body, length of wings and width of thoracic do not give significant effect (P &gt; 0,05). The average value of the consecutive body length is12,43 ± 0,41; 12,57 ± 0,09 dan 12,28 ± 0,18 mm, the average value of the consecutive wings is 8,48 ± 0,29; 8,67 ± 0,17 and 8,74 ± 0,17 mm while the average result of the thoracic width size is 4.04 ± 0.11, 4.14 ± 0.05 and 4.22 ± 0.39 mm

Radiographic assessment of the cardiothoracic ratio in the pediatric age group at a tertiary institution in North-Central Nigeria

Objectives: The most common method for detecting cardiomegaly and calculating the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) is through the use of chest radiography. Since 1919, when the CTR was first described, there has been an interest in its utility as a predicator of heart size, leading to a lot of research, notably in the adult Caucasian population. However, in the African pediatric age group, there is paucity of data on this subject. We aim to establish normative data on CTR and its determinants in Nigerian children aged 1–15 years, using chest radiographs. Material and Methods: This was a 7-month observational analytical study assessing chest radiographs of healthy children aged 1–15 years at the Radiology Department of Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, from May to November 2021. The respondents’ biometrics and chest radiographs were obtained after the protocol was authorized by the institutional Health Research Ethics Committee. The CTR was calculated using measurements of the maximum transverse cardiac diameter (MTCD) and the maximum internal thoracic width (MITW). The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26, and Microsoft Excel 2017. The statistical significance level was selected at P ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 150 pediatric chest radiographs were evaluated, with a male: female ratio of 1.4:1. The study population’s mean age was 6.9 ± 4.8 years. There was a steady decrease in CTR with increasing age across the sexes. The mean CTR of the general population was 49.3%. Weight, height, age, and MITW correlated negatively but statistically significantly with CTR (P = 0.000), while the correlation of CTR with race, MTCD, and sex was not statistically significant (P = 0.657, 0.688, and 0.692, consecutively). Conclusion: The result of the study has established 49.3% as the mean CTR value of the pediatric age group in our environment. We also found out that CTR was significantly influenced by weight, height, age, and thoracic size (MITW).

Radiographic Reference Intervals for Cardiac Size in Common Mynahs (Acridotheres tristis).

Cardiovascular diseases in the common mynah (Acridotheres tristis) often go undiagnosed due to limitations with the physical examination and common concurrent illnesses. The aim of this study was to establish accurate reference intervals for cardiac size based on radiographs for this species. All birds were considered healthy based on physical examination. High-quality ventrodorsal radiographic images were obtained from 34 healthy common mynah birds. The cardiac width (CW), thoracic width, distance between third and fourth ribs, synsacral width, coracoid width, and distance between clavicular bones were evaluated on the ventrodorsal radiographic images. Additionally, the ratio between the CW and these anatomical indices were measured. In order to evaluate the correlation between CW and the radiographic indices, a linear regression model was used. The mean ± SD for CW in the 34 birds was 16.1 ± 0.9 mm (95% confidence interval: 14.1-18 mm). Significant moderate correlation was found for CW with thoracic width (R2 = 0.37; P < 0.001), coracoid width (R2 = 0.25; P = 0.002), and the distance between the third and fourth ribs (R2 = 0.34; P < 0.001). The radiographic reference intervals calculated in this study can be used to evaluate cardiac size in the common mynah bird.

A Spectrum of Descending Thoracic Aorta Diameter Measurement on Computerized Tomography: A Report of 500 Sudanese Patients

Background: The clinical show of illnesses including the thoracic aorta goes from countless patients who have no symptoms, having a medically imperceptible thoracic part of the Arora to victims with side effects of extreme ribcage torment because of intense aortic analysis. Objective: A retrospective study was conducted in computed tomography CT departments of three hospitals to quantify the average thoracic aorta width in the population of Sudan to compare it with international measurements. Methodology: The data collected from 500 randomly selected non-pathological patients were analyzed by the SPSS program and presented in tables and figures. Results: Results revealed that the diameter of the aorta is affected by the body length, age of the patient, and weight, except the gender which is a non-significant factor. Also, the typical size of the plunging part of the Aorta was 12.17±1.78 cm, the proximal diameter of the aorta was 2.51±0.56 cm, the focus width was 2.08±0.41 cm, and the distal breadth was 2.11±0.45 cm. The width of the aorta is very susceptible to size as well as out of the individual. Furthermore, an unusually large distinction (P=0.001) was seen between age and distant breadth of the aorta, although a small distinction (P=0.018) was obtained between the patient's level and terminal breadth of the aortic arch. Conclusion: It is reasoned that the figured tomography is assuming an extraordinary part in the estimation of the ordinary width of slipping of the thoracic aorta by giving a subtle depiction of sliding thoracic aorta breadth in a gathering of the solid Sudanese populace. Keywords: Thor Aorta, Computed tomography, Statistical analysis, Sudan

Thoracolumbar stenosis and neurologic symptoms: Quantitative MRI in achondroplasia.

Background and PurposeWhole‐spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, to identify structural abnormalities associated with the development of symptomatic spinal stenosis in achondroplasia.MethodsForty‐two subjects with achondroplasia were grouped into four age‐related categories. Congenital spinal deformities (vertebral body and disc height, interpedicular distance), acquired spinal degenerative changes, thoracic kyphotic (TK) angle, thoracolumbar kyphotic (TLK) angle, spinal canal widths were evaluated by MRI.ResultsPatients in the first three groups were asymptomatic and younger (group 1: 4.4 ± 0.78 years; group 2: 8.18 ± 0.60 years; group 3: 10.95 ± 0.93 years) than the symptomatic group (group 4: 23 ± 1.30 years). Patients showed height of vertebral bodies, whole canal width, and average lumbar interpedicular distance reduced. Discs degeneration was more pronounced in the lumbar region and in symptomatic adult patients. TK and TLK angles showed a positive correlation with age (p < .05, r = .42; p < .05, r = .41), whereas thoracic and thoracolumbar canal width had a negative correlation (p < .05, r = −.69; p < .05, r = −.58). A negative correlation between lumbar discs degeneration and canal width was found only at L1‐L3 level (p < .05, r = −.35). At L1‐L3, the canal width cutoff value of .59 allowed the differentiation between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients (area under the curve of .966, p < .0001).ConclusionIn achondroplasia, the spinal canal narrowing, due to accelerated degenerative changes, is a predisposing factor of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis. Lumbar canal MRI is a helpful tool to detect the risk of the development of neurological symptoms; in adult patients, a stenosis higher than 60% of upper lumbar canal could be a critical value for the onset of neurological symptoms.

Changes in thoracic form morphology in healthy young adults to middle-aged people at numerous thoracic vertebral levels

Introduction- The Haller index is a thoracic breadth to height ratio. This was previously only at one unknown vertebral level in the thorax. Method- A total of 108 patients were enrolled. Measurements were taken in the axial plane picture at each vertebral level, beginning with T3 and ending with T12. The internal radiographic transverse and minimum anteroposterior diameters were measured using a CT machine and a GE PACS. Both diameters are measured so that they cross each other at a straight angle. Result: - 108 HRCT pictures were evaluated in total. The research included 73 males and 35 females. Patients range in age from 20 to 45 years. The male group's mean age was 38.89 years, with a standard deviation of ±6.11 years. The female group's mean age was 38.83 years, with a standard deviation of ±8.47 years. The overall mean (male + female) Haller index was 2.46 with a standard deviation of ±0.62. Males had a mean Haller index of 2.42 with a standard deviation of ±0.58. Females had to have a mean Haller index of 2.55 with a standard deviation of ±0.66.

Transverse body sizes in men with benign nevi

Annotation. Malignant and benign skin neoplasms are multifactorial diseases, the development of which is perhaps most related to environmental factors. The search for constitutional markers for predicting the occurrence of these cancers has become one of the most promising areas of research in the field of oncology. The aim of the study was to establish the features of transverse body sizes in Ukrainian men with benign nevi. In Ukrainian men (aged 22-35 years) with benign nevi (melanocyte simple – 34, melanocyte dysplastic – 27, melanocyte congenital – 14 and non-melanocyte benign – 17), body diameters and pelvic sizes were determined. The control group consisted of similar size 82 healthy men from the database of the research center National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya. Statistical processing of the results was performed in the license package “Statistica 5.5” using non-parametric evaluation methods. Practically healthy Ukrainian men had significantly lower values than men with benign nevi, transverse middle thoracic, lower thoracic and anteroposterior mid-sternal torso diameters on the background of significantly greater shoulder width. Also in practically healthy men interspinous, intercristal and intertrochanteric distances are significantly smaller than in patients with melanocyte benign simple nevi, and only interspinous and intercristal distances are compared to non-melanocyte benign nevi. In patients with melanocyte simple nevi of men found: significantly higher values than in patients with melanocyte dysplastic nevi of transverse middle thoracic and lower thoracic diameters and all pelvic distances; significantly greater or tendency to greater values than in patients with melanocyte congenital nevi intercristal and intertrochanteric distances; significantly lower values than in patients with melanocyte congenital and non-melanocyte benign shoulder-width nevi. In patients with melanocyte dysplastic nevi found: significantly less important than in patients with melanocytic congenital nevi shoulder-width; tendencies to lower values than in patients with non-melanocyte benign nevi of transverse lower thoracic diameter, shoulder width and interspinous distance. The differences in body diameters and pelvic sizes between healthy and benign nevi in Ukrainian men, as well as between sick men are phenotypic markers that, together with other anthropometric indicators, identify risk groups for the possibility of benign nevi.

Radiographic vertical tracheal diameter assessment at different levels along the trachea as an alternative method for the evaluation of the tracheal diameter in non-brachycephalic small breed dogs

BackgroundTracheal narrowing due to congenital tracheal hypoplasia, acquired tracheal stenosis and tracheal collapse can lead to life-threatening respiratory distress. Tracheal hypoplasia has been identified in brachycephalic dog breeds, predominantly English Bulldogs, by measuring the tracheal diameter compared to the diameter of the thoracic inlet and creating a ratio. However, reference ranges for tracheal diameter have not been established for non-brachycephalic small breed dogs. It would be advantageous to have established tracheal diameters for non-brachycephalic small breed dogs, as these are the dogs most at risk of tracheal collapse. The main objective, of this study was to radiographically evaluate vertical tracheal diameter (VTD) at three standardized locations along the trachea of non-brachycephalic small breed dogs, in an attempt to further establish a screening diagnostic protocol for canine tracheal hypoplasia. Medical records and thoracic radiographs of non-brachycephalic small breed dogs without respiratory disease were reviewed. Right lateral radiographs were reviewed. The absolute and average VTDs at three locations (location A: caudal cervical VTD; location B thoracic inlet VTD; location C: intrathoracic VTD) were standardized by manubrium length (ML), as well as by the previously utilized thoracic inlet distance (Ti-D) and proximal 3rd rib width (PR3-W) to calculate manubrium-tracheal index (M-TI), thoracic inlet-tracheal index (Ti-TI), and proximal R3-tracheal score (PR3-TS), respectively. Correlations between averaged tracheal diameter and each of the ML, Ti-D, and PR3-W, and between M-TI and each of Ti-TI and PR3-TS were calculated.ResultsEighty-one healthy dogs met the criteria for inclusion. Significant differences (P < 0.0001) were identified among the mean values of the absolute and standardized VTDs at levels A, B, and C. The smallest tracheal diameter was identified at the level of the thoracic inlet (Level B).The average VTD correlated better with ML (rs = 0.82, P < 0.0001) compared to Ti-D and PR3-W. A relatively strong correlation (rs = 0.77, P < 0.0001) was identified between the averaged manubrium tracheal index (M-TI) and thoracic inlet tracheal index (Ti-TI).ConclusionM-TI is an appropriate alternative to Ti-TI and PR3-TS to radiographically evaluate VTD in dogs. M-TI < 0.43, < 0.34, or < 0.38 at level A, B, or C, respectively, may indicate tracheal hypoplasia in non-brachycephalic small breed dogs. Screening of canine VTD could be achieved using M-TI.

An observational thoracic radiographic study of aortic remodeling in dogs with confirmed systemic hypertension.

Sustained systemic hypertension (SH) has been shown to cause target organ damage to various tissues in dogs and cats, including the aorta. Aortic dilatation occurs most commonly secondary to SH in people and develops prior to an aortic aneurysm. Our hypothesis was that blinded reviewers could be trained to recognize variable alterations of aortic shape and size on thoracic radiographs of canine patients with SH. A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study was performed with three blinded reviewers evaluating thoracic radiographic images of 21 dogs with normal blood pressure compared to 145 dogs with system hypertension. Lateral radiographs showed variable aortic undulation and disproportionate enlargement of a portion of the aorta between the ascending and proximal descending aorta compared to the descending aorta just cranial to the diaphragm. On orthogonal projections, the aortic arch to proximal descending aorta bowed laterally similar to changes reported in people with the formation of an aortic "knob." After completing a training module, reviewers of the thoracic images had a 74% agreement with Fleiss' Kappa of 0.50 indicating moderate agreement recognizing SH changes to the thoracic aorta. The more experienced blinded reviewers had accuracies of 85% and 80% for identifying systemic hypertension, slightly better than the less experienced reviewer at 76%. The ratio of thoracic cavity width to aortic knob width was significantly different between the groups (median ratio 3.4 SH vs 4.1 normal). Evidence of target organ damage (TOD) to the thoracic aorta may prompt earlier recognition and treatment for systemic hypertension.

Radiographic evaluation of cardiac size in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Physical examination of the cardiovascular system in birds is quite difficult compared to other animals. As in humans and mammalian animals, radiography is a reliable diagnostic tool to identify cardiovascular disorders in birds. However, cardiovascular radiography studies for birds are very limited and reference information is lacking. In this study the aim was to determine the reference values of cardiac radiographic measurements that can be used especially in the diagnosis of cardiomegaly in storks, which is a free-living bird species. For this purpose, 26 white storks without cardiovascular disorders were used in the study. Radiographs were taken in lateral and ventrodorsal projections. Five measurements: heart length (61.70 ± 6.69 mm), heart width (51.65 ± 4.84), carina length (139.80 ± 10.05), thoracic width (87.45 ± 6.58), and coracoid width (10.24 ± 1.20) were performed. The ratio of the heart width to thoracic width was 59.16%. The ratio of heart length to carina length was 44.28%. Heart width correlates significantly and positively with the thoracic width (R: 0.556, R2: 0.310, P: 0.003). The heart width can be estimated by using the thoracic width values with the regressionbased formula in the results of this study. Clinically, it can be determined whether an individual case falls between the minimum or maximum reference values for heart width or length. The results presented in this study may provide clinicians with reference information regarding cardiomegaly.

A new formula for estimation of standard liver volume using liver height and thoracic width.

PurposePrecise estimation of the standard liver volume (SLV) is crucial in decision making regarding major hepatectomy and living donor liver transplantation. This study aimed to propose an accurate and efficient formula for estimating the SLV in the Korean population.MethodsWe created a regression model for SLV estimation using a data set of 230 Korean patients with healthy livers. The proposed model was cross validated using a different data set of 37 patients with healthy livers. The total liver volume (TLV), except for the volume of liver blood vessels, was measured through computed tomography volumetry as the dependent variable. Various anthropometric variables, liver height (LH), thoracic width (TW), age, and sex (0, female and 1, male) were considered as candidates for independent variables. We conducted stepwise regression analysis to identify variables to be included in the proposed model.ResultsA new formula was established; SLV = −1,275 + 9.85 × body weight (BW, kg) + 19.95 × TW (cm) + 7.401 × LH (mm). The proposed formula showed the best performance among existing formulas over the cross-validation data set.ConclusionThe proposed formula derived using BW, TW, and LH estimated the TLV in the cross-validation data set more accurately than existing formulas.

Relationship of vascular pathology, demographic and radio-anatomical features in aortic dissections detected by multidetector CT

Aim: Aortic dissection is a cardiovascular disease with low incidence but high mortality. The aim of our study is to evaluate the demographic, vascular pathologic and radio-anatomic features of aortic dissection and find out the relationship of these with aortic dissection. Methods: One female and 12 male patients admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain and diagnosed with aortic dissection by Computed Tomography were included in this study. Patients were divided into three groups according to the De Bakey classification. Type I: starting from the ascending aorta and ending in the thoracic aorta, Type II: starting from the ascending aorta and ending in the brachiocephalic artery, Type III: starting from the subclavian artery and ending at the level of the diaphragm and abdomen. Results: The highest aortic dissection incidence was found in group Type III with 54%. The ages of patients with aortic dissection were 56.67±12.50, 61.00±11.53 and 52.00±12.26, respectively according to the groups. According to the Pearson Correlation test, significant correlations were found between ascending aorta and age and aortic arch, between cardiothoracic ratio and heart width, and between thoracic width and thoracic aorta (p≤0.05). One Way Anova test was used for the analysis between dissection groups and significant correlation was found between Type II and Type III groups of ascending aorta parameter (p≤0.05). In addition, it was found that 54% of the patients had mild atherosclerosis and 46% had lumen. Conclusion: A significant relationship was found between aortic dissection and radio-anatomic parameters, demographic and vascular pathologic features.