Summary
Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe the differences in pelvic limb alignment between
healthy purebred English Bulldogs and those with medial patellar luxation through
the measurement of femoral and tibial angles on computed tomography images in multiplanar
reconstruction modality (MPRCT).
Methods: Twenty-one purebred English Bulldogs were included and divided into two groups: one
including healthy dogs (15 limbs) and the other including those with medial patellar
luxation (24 limbs). Three different observers used MPR-CT to measure the following
angles: anatomical lateral proximal femoral angle (aLPFA), anatomical lateral distal
femoral angle (aLDFA), mechanical lateral proximal femoral angle (mLPFA), mechanical
lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), angle of inclination of the femoral neck (AI),
angle of anteversion (AA), mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA), mechanical
medial distal tibial angle (mMDTA), mechanical caudal distal tibial angle (mCdDTA),
mechanical caudal proximal tibial angle (mCdPTA), and the tibial torsion angle (TTA).
A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare each variable in both groups.
Results: The values for aLDFA and mLDFA in the medial patellar luxation population were significantly
increased compared to healthy subjects (p <0.05). No significant differences were
observed for the other variables.
Clinical significance: In our population, an increased distal femoral varus was associated with medial patellar
luxation. Our results could be useful to determine whether or not angular deformity
of the femur is present and help determine the degree of correction necessary to restore
alignment.
ORCID iD:
FMM: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9615-2540
Keywords
Patellar luxation - English Bulldog - computed tomography - multiplanar reconstruction
- limb alignment