Morphometric assessment of the canine hip joint using the dorsal acetabular rim view and the centre-edge angle

The dorsal acetabular rim (DAR) view of the hip joint can be used to assess the weightbearing portion of the acetabulum and the acetabular coverage, providing an adjunct to the conventional ventrodorsal (VD) view in the radiographic evaluation of hip dysplasia in the dog. A quantitative index of acetabular coverage in the DAR view, the acetabular slope (AS) angle, was originally proposed in 1990. The aim of the present study was to make a prospective, comparative assessment of a new parameter, the centre-edge (CE) angle, with the AS angle, for the evaluation of the acetabular coverage of the femoral head in the DAR view. The reliability and repeatability of the two parameters was assessed using the r(I) value of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in a prospective study of 208 hip joints in large and giant breed dogs. An estimation of the added value of using the DAR view, compared with that of the VD standard view alone, was also assessed. The CE angle showed a higher r(I) value compared with the AS angle; in 26 per cent of hips of FCI classes A, B and C, the DAR view provided additional diagnostic information compared with the VD view, with respect to lateralisation and/or initial changes to the dorsal rim. It is concluded that the CE angle is more reliable than the AS angle in the evaluation of acetabular coverage, and that the DAR view provides valuable data compared with the VD view alone in the early stages of canine hip dysplasia.