Summary
Objectives: The hypothesis of this study was that juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS) results
in pelvic changes that can be identified radiographically in adult dogs.
Methods: The medical records at the Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni were searched for standard
ventro-dorsal views of the pelvis of adult Labrador and Golden Retrievers that had
undergone JPS or had not undergone surgery. The objective assessment of radiographs
included the analysis of various pelvic measurements. Subjective evaluation of radiographs
was undertaken by 18 specialists and 21 general practitioners and was based on five
criteria relating to 1) the acetabular fossae, 2) the pubic symphysis, 3) the margin
of the cranial pubic area, 4) the pubic rami, and 5) the obturator foramen.
Results: The radiographs of 42 Labrador Retrievers and 16 Golden Retrievers were evaluated.
The most useful criteria were the radiographic measurement of the shape of the obturator
foramen and two different ratios of length to width of the pubic rami; these values
were significantly smaller in dogs after JPS. The pelvic canal width was the same
in both groups. All objective measurements were repeatable within and between evaluators.
The most reliable subjective criterion was number 4, followed by number 5 in Golden
Retrievers and by 2 in Labrador Retrievers.
Conclusion: Our objective and subjective evaluations were simple and yielded useful and repeatable
results. There was no significant difference between general practitioners and specialists
with regard to subjective evaluation, which indicates that these evaluation criteria
can be used by small animal clinicians after minimal training.
Keywords
dogs - juvenile pubic symphysiodesis - JPS - radiographic modifications
