Estabelecimento de valores de densidade mineral óssea (DMO) das regiões metafisária e diafisária do rádio em cães da raça Poodle por meio da Densitometria Óptica Radiográfica

Radiographic Optic Densitometry was used to measure bone mineral content by radiographic images. This method contributes to the diagnosis of osteopenia, preventive estrategies associated to bone metabolism and monitoring of series of measurement of density to accompany pathologies, surgeries, therapies and. The optic density was measured by the image processing software, ImageLab; the applicability of this method was tested and canine reference values of bone mineral density (BMD) were compared to a standard aluminium scale radiographed with the bone. Correlations between the BMD values and the variables weigth, age, sex and width and thickness of the distal third of the 112 Poodles´s right radius-ulna were studied. It was observed that diaphysary BMD values were higher than metaphysary BMD values due to the differences between cancelous and compact bones. However, these differences in the BMD values were not observed in the younger group, up to about one year of age, probably due to the higher bone metabolism during the growing period in the metaphysary region. The average BMD values for each weight category showed that the best method to establish reference values was by weight and bone region. Average values of metaphysary region (M) and diaphysaries 1 (D1) and 2 (D2) were established in three different weight categories. For dogs up to 2.5kg in weight these values were BMD-M=2.55±0.30, BMD-D1=2.89±0.40 and BMD-D2=3.16±0.43mmAl; for dogs from 2.6 up to 5.0kg these values were BMD-M=3.16±0.43, BMD-D1=3.67±0.47 and BMD-D2=3.96±0.55mmAl and for dogs from 5.1 up to 7.5kg these values were BMD-M=3.72±0.50, BMD-D1=4.31±0.52 and BMD-D2=4.60±0.62mmAl.A Densitometria Óptica Radiográfica permite aferir o conteúdo mineral do osso por meio de imagens radiográficas, contribuindo para o diagnóstico de osteopenia, monitoração seriada da densidade em resposta a enfermidades ósseas, a intervenções cirúrgicas e de terapia, e a estratégias preventivas relacionadas ao metabolismo ósseo. As densidades ópticas foram medidas por meio do software de processamento de imagens ImageLab, cuja aplicabilidade foi testada para determinação de valores de referência de DMO, comparando-os a uma escala padrão confeccionada em alumínio, radiografada junto ao osso. Correlacionou-se os valores de DMO com as variáveis peso, idade, sexo e largura e espessura do terço distal do rádio-ulna direito de 112 cães Poodle. Pela diferença na proporção de osso esponjoso e compacto entre as regiões metafisária e diafisária, os animais apresentaram a DMO da metáfise menor que a da diáfise, fato não observado no grupo de animais de até um ano de idade, devido ao alto metabolismo ósseo na região metafisária durante o período de crescimento. A análise dos valores médios de DMO obtidos para cada categoria avaliada, permitiu verificar que a classificação mais adequada para estabelecer valores de referência foi a por peso e região óssea. Assim, foram estabelecidos valores médios para a região metafisária (M) e para as diafisárias 1 (D1) e 2 (D2) em três categorias de peso. Para cães de até 2,5kg os valores definidos foram: DMO-M=2,55±0,30, DMO-D1=2,89±0,40 e DMO-D2=3,16±0,43mmAl; para os de 2,6 a 5,0kg foram: DMO-M=3,16±0,43, DMO-D1=3,67±0,47 e DMO-D2=3,96±0,55mmAl e para os de 5,1 a 7,5kg foram: DMO-M=3,72±0,50, DMO-D1=4,31±0,52 e DMO-D2=4,60±0,62mmAl

Morfologia e morfometria do forame magno em cães das raças Poodle Toy e Yorkshire terrier

The occipital dysplasia has been characterized by a dorsal enlargement of the foramen magnum which can vary in size and shape. Clinical signs may be present or not in animals with occipital dysplasia. The purpose of this study was to radiographically analyze the morphology and morphometry of the foramen magnum of thirty healthy dogs. This study chose to use fifteen Yorkshire terrier dogs and fifteen Toy Poodle dogs in order to characterize the radiographic aspects of the foramen magnum and contribute to the diagnosis and critical analysis of the occipital dysplasia importance. According to the foramen magnum morphology and tracings, it was possible to classify the radiographic aspects into different shapes varing from oval and quadrangular. Out of 26 (86.7%) animals had a dorsal enlargement and 4 (13.3%) showed normal foramen magnum. Animals without any clinical signs that are radiographically classified as dysplastic dogs may simply represent an anatomic variation of the foramen magnum.A displasia do occipital é o alargamento dorsal do forame magno, o qual pode variar a sua forma e tamanho e os animais com esta alteração morfológica podem ou não apresentar manifestações clínicas. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar radiograficamente a morfologia e a morfometria do forame magno de 30 cães assintomáticos das raças Poodle toy e Yorkshire terrier, sendo 15 de cada, a fim de se caracterizar os aspectos radiográficos do forame magno e contribuir para o diagnóstico e análise crítica da relevância da displasia do occipital. O forame magno apresentou aspectos que variaram de oval a quadrangular. A presença do alargamento dorsal ocorreu em 26 (86,7%) animais e a ausência em apenas quatro (13,3%). Animais sem manifestações clínicas, que apresentam graus variados de alargamento dorsal e são classificados radiograficamente como displásicos, podem apenas representar variações anatômicas do forame magno

Post Mortem Ultrasound and Computed Tomography Findings of an Extraluminal Urinary Bladder Leiomyoma in a Dog

Background: Neoplasia of the urinary bladder is common in dogs, accounting approximately 0.5 to 1.0 percent of all neoplasms. Most of the neoplasia of the urinary bladder is epithelial in origin and only 10% of urinary bladder neoplasms in dogs are from mesenchymal origin, of which the most frequent types are leiomyoma / leiomyosarcoma, and hemangioma / hemangiosarcoma. Virtual autopsy refers to the postmortem use of radiology, ultrasound and cross-sectional imaging prior to conventional necropsy. This paper reports the detection of a rare extra-luminal urinary bladder mass diagnosed as leiomyoma with a virtual autopsy techniques.Case: A 16-year-old male Schnauzer had previous history of seizure and no complains related to the urinary system. The animal was treated symptomatically to the neurological signs and responded to medical treatment. Nine weeks later from the first visit to the hospital the dog was found dead at home. Then postmortem ultrasound and computed tomography of the abdomen were performed. Postmortem ultrasound revealed a homogenously hypoechoic, rounded and slightly irregularly marginated mass located externally but adjacent to the left cranial wall of the urinary bladder and appears to extend from its serosal margins. Postmortem computed tomography was performed after postmortem ultrasound. A pedunculated homogenous soft tissue attenuating mass was located at the left lateral aspect of the urinary bladder and extended cranially. It had a stalk that connected to the left lateral wall of the urinary bladder. A partial necropsy of the abdomen was done just to examine the mass. A round extraluminal, pedunculated mass was observed at the left lateral aspect of the urinary bladder wall. It was pale pink on the outside and white inside, with a soft to firm consistency. The lumen and mucosal surface of the urinary bladder was smooth and regular. The histology of the mass revealed a densely cellular neoplastic proliferation, expansive, composed of spindle-shaped cells with moderate to large eosinophilic cytoplasm, sometimes wavy and with indistinct edges. The nuclei were large, oval to flattened, with dense chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli. Anisocytosis and anisokariosis were discrete and no mitotic figures were observed. The arrangement consisted of dense, irregular and multidirectional bundles and the stroma was scarce. The mass was histologically confirmed as leiomyoma.Discussion: In this case, we performed postmortem ultrasound and computed tomography as part of a virtual necropsy study and in both modalities the urinary bladder mass was able to be identified, followed by a partial necropsy to further investigate the nature of the mass and to collect a sample to obtain the histological diagnosis. A few of the disadvantages of the postmortem ultrasound and computed tomography specially in this case were the lack of color Doppler investigation on ultrasound and the lack of evaluation of the patter of contrast enhancement on computed tomography. These techniques could have added important information related to the vascularity characteristics of the mass in a live patient. This is the first case report in veterinary medicine that describes an extra-luminal pedunculated urinary bladder leiomyoma in a canine patient, and it is emphasized the approach by postmortem ultrasound, postmortem computed tomography and conventional necropsy findings to reach the definitive diagnosis

Tomografia computadorizada do tórax de cadelas portadoras de neoplasias mamárias malignas: I - determinação da técnica do exame

Given the importance of malignant mammary gland tumors in veterinary medicine clinics, new perspectives of diagnostic imaging in order to evaluate pacients that have this neoplasia, and the lack of information about it in literature, this research intended to analyse some technical aspects of the contrast computed tomography scanning. The scanning time, the choice of the axial slices thickness, quality of the mediastinal vases contrast and the window width and level were studied in order to have images that make possible the evaluation of lungs, mediastinum, and bones. This research was performed at the Diagnostic Imaging Service of the Veterinary School Hospital of the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia at the University of São Paulo in twenty, different breed and age, bitches with malignant mammary gland tumors that were examined at the Obstetric and Ginecology and Small Animal Surgery Services of the same hospital. The average time for the complete contrast computed tomography scanning of the thorax, with nearly 30 slices, was thirty minutes; the ventral recumbency with the cranial traction of thoracic limbs, and the administration of intravenously iodine contrast medium (2ml/kg) that was given; two thirds of the dose in bolus and the complement under continuing infusion presented to be appropriate for the thoracic contrast computed tomography scanning. The 10 milimeters thickness for animals weighting over 30 kilograms and 5 milimeters for animals weighting under 30 kilograms presented to be appropriate in order to reach an average of thirty slices; the window and level selections to obtain pulmonary, mediastinal and bone images presented appropriate to be evaluated starting from window width 1500 Hounsfield unit (HU) with level varyng from -550 e -650 for lungs, window width between 250 to 300 HU with level varyng from 0 e 50 for mediastinum and window width of 1500 with the level between 50 and 350 HU.Visto a importância das neoplasias mamárias malignas na clínica médico-veterinária e as novas perspectivas do diagnóstico por imagem na avaliação de pacientes portadores dessas neoplasias, o presente trabalho visou analisar alguns aspectos técnicos relativos ao exame de tomografia computadorizada contrastada da cavidade torácica quais sejam, tempo de realização do exame, escolha da espessura dos cortes transversais, qualidade de contrastação dos vasos mediastinais, abertura de janela e nível para obtenção das imagens de pulmão, mediastino e arcabouço ósseo, tendo em vista a escassez de informações na literatura consultada. Para tanto, foram realizados exames de tomografia computadorizada contrastada da cavidade torácica de vinte fêmeas da espécie canina, de diferentes raças e idades, portadoras de neoplasias mamárias malignas encaminhadas ao Serviço de Diagnóstico por Imagem do Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo pelos Serviços de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia e de Cirurgia de Pequenos Animais da mesma instituição. Concluiu-se que, o tempo médio para realização da tomografia contrastada completa do tórax, com aproximadamente trinta cortes foi de 30 minutos; o posicionamento em decúbito esternal com os membros tracionados cranialmente, e a administração de contraste iodado hidrossolúvel por via intravenosa no volume aproximado de 2ml/kg de peso vivo, sendo dois terços da dose administrados em bolo e o complemento sob infusão contínua mostraram-se adequados para realização do exame tomográfico contrastado do tórax; a escolha da espessura dos cortes de 10 milímetros para animais com mais de trinta quilos e de 5 milímetros para animais com menos de trinta quilos mostrou-se adequada para avaliação de todo o tórax buscando-se atingir uma média de trinta cortes; as seleções de janela e nível para aquisição das imagens pulmonares, mediastinais e de arcabouço ósseo apresentaram-se adequadas à avaliação a partir dos valores de abertura de janela de: 1500 unidades Hounsfield (UH) com um nível entre -550 e -650 UH para pulmão, entre 250 e 300 UH com um nível entre 0 e 50 UH para mediastino e para avaliação do arcabouço ósseo de 1500 UH com um nível entre 50 e 350 UH

Determinação do trajeto do canal mandibular por meio de tomografia computadorizada em dez mandíbulas de cadáveres de cães mesaticefálicos

Sabe-se que durante qualquer procedimento cirúrgico na região da mandíbula no homem, um dano iatrogênico ao feixe vasculonervoso que percorre o canal mandibular (CM) poderia causar desde parestesia até dor constante. Na odontologia veterinária, diferentes procedimentos cirúrgicos são realizados no tecido ósseo adjacente ao CM, o que implica no conhecimento acurado da localização do mesmo. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi determinar por meio da Tomografia Computadorizada (TC) o trajeto do CM em relação às faces da mandíbula: lingual, vestibular, ventral e crista alveolar em dez mandíbulas de cadáveres de cães mesaticefálicos. Os tomogramas foram realizados no plano transversal, tomando como referência para cada corte o forame mandibular, as raízes dentárias dos dentes molares, pré-molares e forame mentoniano médio. No tomógrafo foram realizadas medidas desde o CM até as diferentes faces. Conclui-se que a partir do dente 3º molar, no sentido rostral, o CM aumenta gradualmente a distância em relação à crista alveolar, alcançando a sua máxima profundidade na região dente 1º molar. Em relação às faces vestibular e lingual, o CM apresentou-se lingualizado na região dos dentes molares. O CM continua rostralmente ocupando a região ventral do corpo da mandíbula, mantendo uma distância similar entre a superfície vestibular e lingual. Já na região do dente 3º pré-molar o canal mandibular aumenta ligeiramente a sua distância com relação à face ventral e lingual da mandíbula, antes do seu fim no forame mentoniano medial na face vestibular da mandíbula.As it is known, during any surgical procedure in the human mandible, an iatrogenic damage to the neurovascular bundle that runs along the mandibular canal (MC) could cause from paresthesia to constant pain. In veterinary dentistry, different surgical procedures are performed on the bone tissue adjacent to the MC, which implies accurate knowledge of its localization. The purpose of this study was to determine by means of computerized tomography (CT) the path of the MC in relation with: lingual surface, vestibular surface, alveolar crest, and ventral mandible surface in ten mesaticephalic dogs. The slices were performed in transverse plane using as reference the mandibular foramen, the medial mental foramen and the tooth roots of molars and premolars; several measures among the MC and the mandibular faces were performed. The conclusion of this study was that from the 3rd molar tooth (following in rostral direction), the MC gradually increases its distance from the alveolar crest, reaching its maximum depth in the 1st molar tooth area. In the molar area, the MC was located nearly of the mandibular lingual surface. The CM continues rostrally occupying the ventral region of the mandible body keeping a similar distance between the buccal and lingual surface. Then in the 3rd premolar area the MC increases slightly its distance from the ventral aspect of the mandible, before its end in the medial mental foramen on the face of the mandible

Tomografia computadorizada do tórax de cadelas portadoras de neoplasias malignas: II - Avaliação dos campos pulmonares

Seen the importancy of the malignant mammary gland tumors in the veterinary medicine clinic, the new perspectives of the diagnostic imaging in order to evaluate pacients that have this neoplasia, and the few information of this subject in the literature this research proposed to compare contrast computed tomographic and survey radiographic techniques in the lung's evaluation of female dogs with malignant mammary gland tumors. This research was performed at the Diagnostic Imaging Service of the Veterinary School Hospital of the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia at the University of São Paulo in twenty, from different breed and age, bitches with malignant mammary gland tumors that were examined at the Obstetric and Ginecology and Small Animal Surgery Services of the same hospital. The tomographic exam showed up as an important complement of the radiographic exam in searching for mammary gland tumor metastasis, concerning the evaluation of the pulmonary intersticium.Visto a importância das neoplasias mamárias na clínica médico-veterinária e as novas perspectivas do diagnóstico por imagem, o presente trabalho visou comparar o exame tomográfico contrastado com o exame radiográfico simples dos campos pulmonares de cadelas portadoras de tumores mamários malignos. Para tanto, foram realizados exames de tomografia computadorizada contrastada da cavidade torácica de vinte fêmeas da espécie canina, de diferentes raças e idades, portadoras de neoplasias mamárias malignas encaminhadas ao Serviço de Diagnóstico por Imagem do Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo pelos Serviços de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia e de Cirurgia de Pequenos Animais da mesma instituição. Concluiu-se que, o exame tomográfico se mostrou um importante complemento do exame radiográfico na pesquisa de metástases de neoplasias mamárias em cadelas no que se refere à avaliação do interstício pulmonar

Exames radiográficos simples e tomográficos do segmento lombossacro da coluna vertebral em cães da raça Pastor Alemão: estudo comparativo

The name cauda equina syndrome defines the clinical signs that come from the sensory and or motor neural dysfunction caused by the terminal part of the spinal cord and adjacent nerve roots damages. The stenosis lumbosacral is the most frequent cause, correlating to the alterations of the soft tissues and/ or the bone tissues in the lumbosacral segment. The aim of this study was to analyze critically the real contribution of diagnostic imaging (X-Ray and CT), of the lumbosacral region of 30 German shepherd dogs. There were thirteen animals that belonged to the group (A) without clinical signs and X-Ray alterations in the lumbosacral segment; twelve animals belonged to the group (B) without clinical signs, with X-Ray alterations in the lumbosacral segment; five animals belonged to the group (C) with clinical signs and they had X-Ray alterations in the lumbosacral segment. All exams were submitted to one evaluation report. The CT examination showed being superior in the evaluation of the vertebral canal, intervertebral foramen and the articular processes, which could be evaluated with a greater number of details. It was concluded with this research that the two modalities of images complement each other, becoming important tools in the clinicalsurgical evaluation in the lumbosacral segment, helping in the diagnosis, prognostic and therapeutic to be adopted.O termo síndrome da cauda equina (SCE) define as manifestações clínicas oriundas da disfunção sensorial e/ou motora causada pela lesão das raízes nervosas que formam a porção terminal da medula espinhal. A estenose lombossacra é a causa mais comum, correlacionando-se às alterações das partes moles e/ou tecidos ósseos neste segmento. Este estudo teve por objetivo realizar uma análise crítica da contribuição dos métodos de imagem, quais sejam exames: radiográfico simples e tomográfico, para avaliação do segmento lombossacro em 30 cães da raça Pastor Alemão. Sendo treze animais pertencentes ao grupo (A) sem manifestações clínicas e alterações radiográficas no segmento lombosacro; doze animais pertencentes ao grupo (B) sem manifestações clínicas com alterações radiográficas no segmento lombossacro e cinco animais pertencentes ao grupo (C) com manifestações clínicas e portadores de alterações radiográficas no segmento lombossacro. Todos os exames foram submetidos a um protocolo de avaliação. O exame tomográfico mostrou-se superior na avaliação do canal vertebral, foramens intervertebrais e processos articulares, os quais puderam ser avaliados com maior riqueza de detalhes. Concluiu-se com esta pesquisa que as duas modalidades de imagem se complementam, constituindo ferramentas importantes na avaliação clínico-cirúrgica do segmento lombossacro, auxiliando no diagnóstico, estabelecimento do prognóstico e da terapêutica a ser adotada

Retrospective study of radiographies with radius and ulna fractures in dogs

Survey of 528 radiographs of radius and ulna fractures selected from archive of Radiology Service of the Surgery Department into the Veterinary Hospital of Veterinary College of the University of Sao Paulo from July 1999 December 2005 we randomly selected the months to analyze. Radius and ulna fractures represent 20.9% of total fractures. 87.1% of these fractures attacked both bones. Transversal fractures were the most common type even in radius (75.5%) than ulna (76.6%), which occurred mainly at distal third radius (72.9%) and ulna (70.1%). Mix-breed dogs (40.2%), between the ages of six months and one year (34.3%), with displacement of axis bone (94.9%) were the most frequent types observed.Foram analisadas 528 radiografias simples de fraturas de rádio e ulna do arquivo do Serviço de Diagnostico por Imagem do Departamento de Cirurgia junto ao Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo realizadas no período de julho de 1999 a dezembro de 2005, selecionando-se os meses para análise de forma randomizada. Os principais resultados encontrados foram: Fraturas de rádio e ulna representam 20,9% do total encontradas, destas o tipo mais observado foi a transversal, tanto no rádio (75,5%) quanto na ulna (76,6%). 87,1% das fraturas acometeram o rádio e a ulna. O terço distal foi o mais acometido foi o distal, tanto do rádio quanto da ulna (72,9% e 70,1%, respectivamente). Esquírolas ósseas foram observadas em 13,8% e desvio de eixo ósseo em 94,9% dos casos. 40,2% dos cães não possuíam raça definida. 34,3% dos cães possuíam idade entre seis meses a um ano

Interaction of morphology, thermal physiology and\ud burrowing performance during the evolution of\ud fossoriality in Gymnophthalmini lizards

The evolution of fossoriality in Squamata often leads to a phenotypic syndrome involving snake-like body form, relatively low preferred temperature (TP) and low critical maximum temperatures (CTmax). However, how traits interacted among them and with the environment during the evolution of such syndrome remains poorly understood. We studied this process in ten species of gymnophthalmid lizards from the Brazilian Caatinga representing one full transition from typical lacertoid species to fossorial snake-like (FSL) ones. We tested whether different morphotypes exhibited different burrowing performances in response to heat, and also different TP and CTmax. Then, we estimated how changes in burrowing performance would relate to thermoregulation costs in terms of the number of daily hours for which preferred temperatures are available and of risk of overheating. Fossorial snake-like species burrowed deeper, exhibited lower TP but kept very high CTmax, comparable to lacertoid species. A better burrowing performance and lower TP allowed increasing the daily amount of time during which TP was accessible within the soil of the study region. In addition, temperatures above CTmax of the studied species were present down to 5 cm deep, suggesting that just burrowing does not protect against exposure to extreme temperatures in species that are surface-active during the day (all lacertoids and some FSL). Nonetheless, FSL species active at cool hours of the day exhibited lower CTmax than diurnal and syntopic, lacertoid and FSL species. Based on our data and previous literature, we propose a sequential explanation for the acquisition of the fossorial syndrome in Squamata.This work and all its authors were supported by FAPESP (2008/06143-0), CNPQ and CAPES during the study. We thank IBAMA for collection permits. We also thank B. Goodman, R. Brandt, R. Huey, F. Ribeiro and T. Kholsdorf for kindly reviewing drafts of this manuscript. C. Caselli, B. Vilela, R. Recoder & M. Sena, C. Nascimento and A. Yamanouchi also helped during fieldwork and in caring for the lizards

Radiologic images of the thoracic cavity of Golden Retriever dogs affected by muscular dystrophy

A distrofia muscular de Duchenne (DMD) é uma doença de origem genética, cuja principal manifestação clínica é enfraquecimento e atrofia progressiva dos músculos. Os cães da raça Golden Retriever podem apresentar distrofia muscular, com características genotípicas e fenotípicas muito próximas à distrofia muscular humana, sendo considerado o modelo animal mais apropriado para o estudo da DMD. Foram realizadas radiografias torácicas látero-laterais e dorsoventrais de 10 cães Golden Retriever afetados pela distrofia muscular, com o objetivo de relatar as alterações radiográficas associadas a essa patologia. O exame radiográfico da cavidade torácica evidenciou: (a) padrão pulmonar intersticial e alveolar predominante, (b) um quadro de pneumonia e edema pulmonar em fase inicial, (c) a cardiomegalia como o principal achado de comprometimento circulatório na cavidade torácica, (d) O megaesôfago torácico foi observado deslocando a traquéia e silhueta cardíaca ventralmente e, (e) a cúpula diafragmática apresentou modificação morfológica, mostrando protrusão para o interior da cavidade torácica e hérnia hiatal, com deslocamento do estômago para o espaço mediastino caudal. Os achados de necropsia evidenciaram efusão pleural e enfisema pulmonar e lesões compatíveis com processos degenerativos e metaplásicos da musculatura diafragmática e intercostal. A avaliação radiográfica constituiu-se como um meio diagnóstico auxiliar essencial na identificação de doença cardíaca e respiratória em cães Golden Retriever acometidos pela Distrofia Muscular, capaz de identificar processos pneumônicos primários, permitindo o estabelecimento de terapêutica adequada de tratamento, com prognóstico reservado nos estágios mais avançados desta alteraçãoDuchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder with clinical signs of muscular weaknesses and progressive atrophy. Golden Retriever dogs show similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics to Human Muscular Dystrophy and are considered a proper animal model for DMD studies. Latero-lateral and dorso-ventral thoracic radiographies were obtained from 10 Golden Retriever dogs affected by muscular dystrophy, to investigate possible radiographic alterations. Thorax radiographic examination revealed (a) interstitial and alveolar pattern, (b) initial phases of pneumonia and pulmonary edema, (c) cardiomegaly as a principal alteration in the thoracic cavity, (d) megaesophagus displacing the trachea and heart silhouette, and (e) cranial protrusion of the diaphragm lining into the thorax with development of a hiatus hernia displacing the stomach to the caudal mediastinum. Postmortem examination showed pleural effusion, pulmonary emphysema, degenerative and metaplasic processes in the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. Radiographic examination was considered essential for the diagnosis of cardiac and respiratory disease in Golden Retriever dogs affected by muscular dystrophy, and to identify the primary pulmonary process and to provide the establishment of suitable therapeutic treatment, with a reserved prognosis in advanced stage of the diseas