Morphometric characterization of normal and dysplastic canine coxofemoral joint using radiography, and 3D printed models

Abstract

Abstract Background: The present study aimed to differentiate between normal and dysplastic canine coxofemoral joints by assessing the corresponding bone specimens and digital X-rays moreover, our study provides a substitute teaching strategy using 3D-printed models of canine coxofemoral joints. This work was conducted on twenty-eight mixed breed dogs, sixteen dogs were used for bone preparation samples by boiling method, then these bones were scanned to create relatively identical 3D printed models. twelve dogs were anesthetized for the radiological study. An extended ventrodorsally radiograph of the coxofemoral joint was obtained to calculate the Norberg angle, Centre-edge angle, and dorsal acetabular femoral head coverage width and area indices. Results: The study's results illustrated the normal conformational anatomic criteria associated with healthy coxofemoral joints versus dysplastic joints in both bone specimens and 3D-printed models. In a normal joint, the coxofemoral articulation was congruent and smoothly margined with the acetabulum being deep and the femoral head being hemispherical. However, the dysplastic coxofemoral joint showed shallow acetabular fossa and a deformed, flattened femoral head with associated osseous proliferation and joint incongruity. The Norberg angle, Centre-edge angle, dorsal acetabular femoral head coverage width, and area indices differed significantly between normal and dysplastic joints. In normal coxofemoral joints, the mean ± (standard deviation) SD value of the Norberg angle was 115.5± 3.05 a, and the Centre-edge angle was 32.57± 3.54 a. The indices of dorsal acetabular femoral head coverage area and width were 52.94± 3.41 a, and 58.32± 5.33 arespectively. Conclusion: Finally, this work presented alternative teaching models (3d printing) that play an important role in the veterinary field and assist in the understanding of the normal structure and dysplastic state of canine coxofemoral joint. Also, some parameters were measured in x-rays of normal and dysplastic coxofemoral joint to detect hip dysplasia, which helps exclude the highly diseased dogs before breeding.