title: Radiographic changes of the pelvis in Labrador and Golden Retrievers after juvenile pubic symphysiodesis: objective and subjective evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni srl, Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boiocchi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vezzoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vezzoni
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bronzo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D006619:Hip Dysplasia, Canine / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D011631:Pubic Symphysis / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography