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Radiographic hip scoring according to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and PennHIP (Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program) method was performed with the purpose to compare the PennHIP and FCI results as well as coxofemoral joint laxity by correlation of Norberg angle and distraction index measurements.A total of 167 dogs of various breeds presented for official screening examination in a veterinary teaching hospital in Germany were included. Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, the best Norberg angle and distraction index cut-off values to distinguish between dysplastic and non-dysplastic groups based on FCI grades and to distinguish between lax and tight hip joints according to the PennHIP proposal were calculated.More than one third (38.2 %) of dogs that passed the breeding criterions according to FCI (grades A and B) were in the half of the population with lax hip joints and should not be used for breeding according to the PennHIP proposal. A cut-off value for the distraction index of 0.44 with sensitivity of 82.7 % and specificity of 84.2 % was superior to the best cut-off value for the Norberg angle at 101.8° with sensitivity of 82.7 % and specificity of 71.9 % to discriminate between non-dysplastic joints (A, B) and dysplastic joints (C, D, E).Our results show a limited impact of laxity on the FCI grading. Breeding selection processes that are based on the FCI method could profit by an additional and complementary use of the distraction index.Ziel der Studie war, die Ergebnisse der Röntgenuntersuchung auf Hüftgelenkdysplasie gemäß Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) und PennHIP-Methode (Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program) sowie den Einfluss der Hüftgelenklaxizität durch Korrelation von Norberg-Winkel und Distraktionsindex zu vergleichen.Die Untersuchung umfasste 167 Hunde verschiedener Rassen, die zur offiziellen Zuchtuntersuchung an einer Universitätstierklinik in Deutschland vorgestellt wurden. Mittels ROC-Analyse wurden Grenzwerte für Norberg-Winkel und Distraktionsindex zur Unterscheidung zwischen dysplastischen und nicht dysplastischen Hüftgelenken basierend auf den Ergebnissen der FCI-Methode sowie zur Unterscheidung zwischen lockeren und straffen Hüftgelenken gemäß den PennHIP-Empfehlungen berechnet.Mehr als ein Drittel (38,2 %) der Hunde, die die Zuchtkriterien nach FCI (Grad A und B) erfüllten, gehörten zur Hälfte der Population mit lockeren Hüftgelenken und sollten gemäß PennHIP-Empfehlungen nicht zur Zucht eingesetzt werden. Der Grenzwert von 0,44 für den Distraktionsindex war mit einer Sensitivität von 82,7 % und einer Spezifität von 84,21 % dem Grenzwert von 101,8° für den Norberg-Winkel mit einer Sensitivität von 82,7 % und einer Spezifität von 71,9 % zur Unterscheidung zwischen nicht dysplastischen Gelenken (A, B) und dysplastischen Gelenken (C, D, E) nach FCI überlegen.Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen einen limitierten Einfluss der Gelenklaxizität auf die Bewertung nach FCI. Zuchtauswahlverfahren, die auf der FCI-Methode basieren, könnten durch eine ergänzende Nutzung des Distraktionsindex profitieren.

Objective The main purpose of the study was to compare reliability of measurements for the evaluation of hip joint laxity in 59 dogs. Materials and Methods Measurement of the distraction index (DI) of the PennHIP method and the Norberg angle (NA) of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) scoring scheme as well as scoring according to the FCI scheme and the Swiss scoring scheme were performed by three observers at different level of experience. For each dog, two radiographs were acquired with each method by the same operator to evaluate intraoperator-reliability. Results Intraoperator-reliability was slightly better for the NA compared with the DI with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.962 and 0.892 respectively. The ICC showed excellent results in intraobserver-reliability and interobserver-reliability for both the NA (ICC 0.975; 0.969) and the DI (ICC 0.986; 0.972). Thus, the NA as well as the DI can be considered as reliable measurements. The FCI scheme and the Swiss scoring scheme provide similar reliability. While the FCI scheme seems to be slightly more reliable in experienced observers (Kappa FCI 0.687; Kappa Swiss 0.681), the Swiss scoring scheme had a noticeable better reliability for the unexperienced observer (Kappa FCI 0.465; Kappa Swiss 0.514). Clinical Significance The Swiss scoring scheme provides a structured guideline for the interpretation of hip radiographs and can thus be recommended to unexperienced observers.

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.

There is increasing prevalence of digital diagnostic imaging in veterinary medicine with a progressive need to use medical imaging software. As Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-viewers for veterinary use do not require medical device approval in many countries, freeware viewers might be a practical alternative. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate free DICOM-viewer software for veterinary purposes. The functionality and user-friendliness of various DICOM-viewers from the internet were analyzed and compared. Inclusion criteria for the evaluation were free availability, PACS (picture archiving and communication system)-connectivity, and stand-alone and client-based software. Based on this, eight viewers were found: Ginkgo CADx, Horos, K-PACS, MAYAM, MITO, OsiriX Lite, RadiAnt, Synedra personal. In these DICOM-viewers, 14 core tools were tested and rated on a score from 1 to 10 by multiple observers with different levels of training, using studies of four imaging modalities. Criteria were functionality and user-friendliness. For each viewer, the total number of a predefined set of 47 important tools was counted. The ranking based on functionality and user-friendliness of 14 core tools (mean score in brackets) was as follows: 1. Horos/OsiriX Lite (8.96), 2. RadiAnt (8.90), 3. K-PACS (8.02), 4. Synedra (7.43), 5. MAYAM (6.05), 6. Ginkgo CADx (5.53), 7. MITO (3.74). The DICOM-viewers offered between 20 and 44 tools of the predefined important tool set and are sufficient for most veterinary purposes. An increasing number of tools did not necessarily impair user-friendliness, if the user interface is well designed. Based on the results of this study, veterinarians will find suitable free DICOM-viewers for their individual needs. In combination with PACS-freeware, this allows veterinary practices to run a low-budget digital imaging environment.