title: Agreement between T2 and haste sequences in the evaluation of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease in dogs.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare half-Fourier-acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) and T2-weighted (T2-W) sequences in dogs with thoracolumbar disc extrusion. MRI studies in 60 dogs (767 individual intervertebral disc spaces) were evaluated. Agreement between T2-W and HASTE sequences was assessed for two criteria: presence of an extradural lesion and treatment recommendation. There was moderate agreement between T2-W and HASTE sequences as to presence of an extradural lesion (kappa = 0.575). HASTE was in agreement in 96.1% of the sites where no extradural lesion was identified on T2-W images, but only in 58.1% of the sites where extradural lesions were identified on T2-W images. There was also moderate agreement between T2-W and HASTE sequences as to treatment recommendations (kappa = 0.476). HASTE was in agreement in 98.4% of the sites where a lesion was considered nonsurgical on T2 but only 82.1% of sites a lesion was considered surgical on T2. In 1.0% of sites considered not surgical and in 9.8% of sites considered equivocal based on T2-W images, a surgical lesion was identified on HASTE. Acquisition of a HASTE sequence in addition to conventional sequences may be beneficial in determining the severity of spinal cord compression in some cases when evaluating the canine spine.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996-4544, USA. jmankin@utk.edu
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mankin
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae