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In 2016, the recommendations of the DICOM Standards Committee for the use of veterinary identification DICOM tags had its 10th anniversary. The goal of our study was to survey veterinary DICOM standard conformance in Germany regarding the specific identification tags veterinarians should use in veterinary diagnostic imaging. We hypothesized that most veterinarians in Germany do not follow the guidelines of the DICOM Standards Committee. We analyzed the metadata of 488 imaging studies of referral cases from 115 different veterinary institutions in Germany by computer-aided DICOM header readout. We found that 25 (5.1%) of the imaging studies fully complied with the “veterinary DICOM standard” in this survey. The results confirmed our hypothesis that the recommendations of the DICOM Standards Committee for the consistent and advantageous use of veterinary identification tags have found minimal acceptance amongst German veterinarians. DICOM does not only enable connectivity between machines, DICOM also improves communication between veterinarians by sharing correct and valuable metadata for better patient care. Therefore, we recommend that lecturers, universities, societies, authorities, vendors, and other stakeholders should increase their effort to improve the spread of the veterinary DICOM standard in the veterinary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case Summary: An 8-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented with an acute onset of left thoracic limb lameness and a firm swelling on the lateral aspect of the left distal antebrachium. A CT scan of the left thoracic limb revealed an expansile osteolytic cystic bone lesion centred at the distal left ulnar metaphysis. Cytology from fine-needle aspiration was not consistent with neoplasia. The CT features and the cytology results were suggestive of a bone cyst. A distal partial ulnectomy with ulnar styloid process excision was performed as the biopsy method and as the treatment approach. Histopathology results were consistent with an aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). Carpal instability was not detected after distal partial ulnectomy; therefore, a stabilisation method was not required. Limb function was excellent after surgery, with no lameness and no recurrence detected by the owner at 2, 6 and 24 weeks postoperatively. The veterinary examination at 12 weeks postoperatively confirmed the owner's outcome assessment., Relevance and Novel Information: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing a distal partial ulnectomy with ulnar styloid process excision in a cat. Despite disrupting the short ulnar collateral ligament, this technique provided excellent short-term limb function with no need for carpal joint stabilisation. This technique allowed for the complete excision of a distal ulnar ABC and avoided cyst debridement, which could be associated with haemorrhage, recurrence and malignant transformation. Distal partial ulnectomy should be considered for distal ulnar bone lesions in cats., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Objective:  Canine hip dysplasia is a common orthopaedic disease in dogs. The Norberg angle value is a measure of hip joint laxity. The aim of this study was to quantify the degree of rotation necessary to consider the radiograph as inadequately positioned and to determine the influence of rotation on the Norberg angle., Study Design:  Three sets of radiographs with different positioning and projections were acquired using 10 canine cadavers. Rotation of the pelvis was simulated by rotating the X-ray tube without changing the position of the patient., Results:  In dorsoventral projections, the Norberg angle value is increased by 3.2 to 5.8%. Due to rotation along the long axis, the Norberg angle increases on one side and decreases on the contralateral side by approximately the same value. Rotation of greater than 2 degrees in a lateral direction is visually perceived by the observer as tilted. Rotation of the projection in the caudoventral to craniodorsal direction causes mild increase of the Norberg angle (≤1%), while rotation of the projection in a cranioventral to caudodorsal direction causes moderate (≤2%) decrease of the Norberg angle. Rotation of less than -10 degrees (caudoventral to craniodorsal) or greater than 10 degrees (cranioventral to caudodorsal) is visually perceived as tilted., Conclusion:  Tilted images that are subjectively perceived evaluable have only little effect on the Norberg angle and are therefore probably acceptable. Dorsoventral projections can be recognized based on the proximal position of the patella and should be excluded from evaluation, as the Norberg angle value can be falsely increased., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective:  Magnification error is always present in radiography and calibration is necessary, if high accuracy is required in pre-surgical planning. The goal of this study was to verify the use of self-made markers and calibration techniques and to establish guidelines for magnification correction., Study Design:  We evaluated and compared spherical and linear markers of different sizes with focus on practicability, accuracy and precision. Markers were placed on foam pads or attached to flexible arms., Results:  Vertical marker deviation of 1 cm from the anatomical reference point corresponded to ∼1% of magnification error in our setting. Marker placement along the horizontal plane showed no significant magnification in the periphery of the radiograph. All markers showed good accuracy and the commercial spherical marker with a flexible segment arm had the best results regarding practicability., Conclusion:  Our study suggests that marker type is not solely responsible for usability and accuracy but also the type of fixation. In the absence of a calibration marker, calculation of the magnification factor using a measurement tape during radiography is equally reliable. Use of a fixed averaged calculated calibration factor showed poor agreement compared with the marker calibration, probably due to variability in size of the animals. In conclusion, if precision matters, use of a calibration marker, which could be purchased or self-made, is advised., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)