Estudo radiográfico, morfológico e morfométrico do forame magno de cães de raças pequenas e toy.

Abstract

Radiographic, morphological and morphometric study of the foramen magnum of small and toy breed dogs. The magnum foramen malformation, known as occipital dysplasia, is the result of incomplete ventromedial supraoccipital bone region, commonly found in small and toy dogs breeds. There is a divergence in the literature regarding its degree of affection, considered by some authors as pathological and others only as a malformation of no clinical importance. The objective of the present study was to investigate by means of radiographic studies the morphology and morphometric variations of the magnum foramen of 12 small dogs attended in the Hospital Veterinário from the University of Campina Grande (UFCG), being observed that 83% (10) of the dogs were found some degrees of occipital dysplasia and in the other 17% (2) normal morphology. The prevalence found in the study of animals with grade I dysplasia was 58.4% (7) and grade II was 8.3% (2); while 25% presented no malformation of the occipital bone. Therefore, the frequency of occipital dysplasia in asymptomatic dogs, specifically of small breeds and toy, leads us to conclude that the observation of the dorsal notch in radiographic projections is only a finding of image without clinical importance, however, neuroanatomic knowledge is indispensable as a diagnostic tool.