title: Radiographic evaluation of caudal vena cava size as a useful parameter for the diagnosis of heart disease in dairy cattle.
abstract: To quantify the radiographic parameters of the caudal vena cava (CVC) in healthy cattle and demonstrate their clinical usefulness, the present study compared the ratios of the diameter of the thoracic CVC to the diameter of the aorta (Ao) and length of the thoracic vertebrae (VL), which are all positioned in the same intercostal space, in 81 healthy control cattle (43 growing, 38 adult) and 10 cattle with heart disease. The average diameter of the CVC (CVCave) was correlated with the size of the Ao and VL in the control cows. Although the diameter and pulsation index of the CVC differed significantly between the growing and adult cows, the ratios of CVC/Ao and CVC/VL were fixed values for both the growing and mature cattle. However, in the cattle with heart disease, the pulsation index of the CVC was significantly lower or there was absence of pulsation due to a dilated CVC, and the ratio of CVCave/Ao and CVCave/VL were significantly higher than those in the healthy cattle.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.lastname: Jilintai
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashiyama
authors.forename: Yuhsuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gonda
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Motoyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Kazuro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyahara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011859:Radiography; D014684:Venae Cavae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology