Radiological evaluation of the quadriceps angle (Q angle) in German Shepherd Dogs

摘要

The research was conducted on a selected group of 65 healthy German Shepherd Dogs to determine Q angle values. The animals were tranquilized, positioned in ventrodorsal recumbency, and examined radiologically. The radiographs were converted into digital form and analyzed by specialized software to determine the lines and to make measurements.The Q angle assessment was based on the determination of two lines according to Kaiser and Miles in previous research. The first line was drawn from the cranial lip of the acetabulum of the hip joint to the centre of the femoral intercondylar notch. Thesecond line was drawn from the femoral intercondylar notch to the tibial tuberosity. The angle between these two lines was the Q angle. The results were statistically analyzed, and basic statistical parameters were calculated, such as statistical mean (Me), standard deviation (SD), as well as minimum (Min) and maximum (Max) values.In our study the mean of the results was 17 with a standard deviation of 7.38. These results are are in agreement with the results of studies carried out on foxes, which suggests that the selection of patients of the same breed, size and similar body weight does not significantly reduce the standard deviation in determining the reference values. The differences between the right and left hind limbs were also observed in our study.