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. 2016 Aug;18(8):613-9.
doi: 10.1177/1098612X15591234. Epub 2015 Jun 18.

Pectus excavatum: computed tomography and medium-term surgical outcome in a prospective cohort of 10 kittens

Timothy M Charlesworth  1 , Tobias Schwarz  2 , Christopher P Sturgess  3
Affiliations

Pectus excavatum: computed tomography and medium-term surgical outcome in a prospective cohort of 10 kittens

Timothy M Charlesworth et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to report the use of computed tomography (CT) in conjunction with clinical signs to assess the severity of pectus excavatum (PE) in kittens and to guide surgical decision-making; also to report medium-term outcome in a prospective cohort of kittens undergoing surgical correction.

Methods: This was a prospective study of 10-15-week-old kittens (n = 10) diagnosed with moderate/severe PE.

Results: CT provides additional information that is useful for selecting patients for surgical correction and for planning the surgery. Traditional radiographic indices (vertebral, frontosagittal) provide reasonable approximations of the CT-determined dimensions but these seem to correlate poorly with the severity of clinical signs. Kittens commonly have lateralised deformities, which are associated with less severe clinical signs, while those with midline deformities are associated with more severe clinical signs. Six of seven kittens with severe PE that had a ventral splint applied for 4 weeks had excellent medium-term outcomes.

Conclusions and relevance: Restriction of diastolic filling by midline sternal deviation may be an important cause of exercise intolerance in cats with PE. CT can be used to assess affected kittens and to plan surgery when indicated.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors do not have any potential conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bland–Altman plot of the data obtained from eight paired measurements of the vertebral index (VI) using computed tomography (CT) or radiographic imaging. r = 0.20 (P = 0.64); slope = −0.058 (P = 0.64); intercept = −0.28 (P = 0.62)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bland–Altman plot of the data obtained from eight paired measurements of the frontosagittal index (FSI) using computed tomography (CT) or radiographic imaging. r = 0.983 (P <0.01); slope = −0.422 (P = <0.01); intercept = −1.35 (P = <0.01)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sternebrae closest to overlying cardiovascular structures in each of the 10 kittens
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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