{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T23:16:50Z","timestamp":1782947810843,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Georg Thieme Verlag KG","issue":"03","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Tierarztl Prax Ausg K Kleintiere Heimtiere"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To establish reference values for the Vertebral Heart Score (VHS) in pet rabbits that are clinically free of thorax disease.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Radiographs of 100 pet rabbits without clinical or radiographic signs of thoracic disease were analyzed. The long and short axes of the heart were determined in lateral and ventrodorsal projections using Buchanan's method. These distances were then applied to the thoracic spine, starting from the cranial border of the fourth vertebra, to determine the size of the heart in vertebral lengths. Additionally, the angle between the sternum and the longitudinal axis of the heart was determined in the lateral view.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>A total of 54 male (14 intact and 40 neutered) and 46 female (29 intact and 17 neutered) rabbits, median age 4.75 years (range 6 months\u201311 years), were included in the study. The median long-axis dimension was 4.5 vertebrae (2.5\u201397.5% percentiles: 3.75\u20135.00 vertebrae) in the lateral projection, and 4.0 (3.25\u20135.00) vertebrae in the ventrodorsal projection. The short-axis dimension was 3.25 (3.00\u20134.00) vertebrae  for the lateral and 3.25 (2.50\u20134.00) vertebrae for the ventrodorsal projection. The median vertebral heart score (VHS) was 7.75 (6.75\u20138.75) in the lateral projection and 7.25 (6.0\u20139.0) in the ventrodorsal projection. The median VHS was higher for male rabbits (8.0) than for female rabbits (7.5) in the lateral projection. Age and weight had no significant influence. The median angle between the sternum and the long axis in lateral projections was 50.4\u00b0 (2.5 to 97.5% percentile: 42.81\u201361.60).<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>This study presents reference ranges for the VHS in pet rabbits that can be used to objectively assess the heart size.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2854-5327","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T22:30:31Z","timestamp":1782945031000},"page":"164-169","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The determination of the heart size in 100 clinically thorax-disease-free pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus forma domestica) using the Vertebral Heart Score (VHS)"],"prefix":"10.1055","volume":"54","author":[{"given":"Jasmin","family":"Schmald","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division for Small Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Small Animal Clinic, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eberhard","family":"Ludewig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic Imaging \u2013 Clinical Centre of Small Animals, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kerstin","family":"M\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division for Small Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Small Animal Clinic, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"194","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","first-page":"75","article-title":"Cardiac diseases in rabbits: prevalence and clinical management","volume":"13","author":"F O Smith","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet Clin Exot Anim"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"764","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.259.7.764","article-title":"Clinical and pathological findings in rabbits with cardiovascular disease: 59 cases (2001-2018)","volume":"259","author":"S Ozawa","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"525","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cvex.2022.01.006","article-title":"Cardiology in rabbits and rodents-common cardiac diseases, therapeutic options, and limitations","volume":"25","author":"K M\u00fcller","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1053\/j.jepm.2015.04.013","article-title":"Determination of normal echocardiographic, electrocardiographic, and radiographic cardiac parameters in the conscious New Zealand white rabbit","volume":"24","author":"A T Giannico","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"194","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.1995.206.02.194","article-title":"Vertebral scale system to measure canine heart size in radiographs","volume":"206","author":"J W Buchanan","year":"1995","journal-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1292\/jvms.09-0390","article-title":"Radiographic measurement of cardiac size in 27 rabbits","volume":"72","author":"M Onuma","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Vet Med Sci"},{"key":"ref7","first-page":"37","article-title":"Radiographic measurement of vertebral heart scale (VHS) in New Zealand white rabbits","volume":"10","author":"A Moarabi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Iran J Vet Surg"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cvex.2008.08.004","article-title":"Cardiovascular physiology and diseases of the rabbit","volume":"12","author":"R Pariaut","year":"2009","journal-title":"Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref9","first-page":"52","article-title":"Congenital heart disease of the rabbit. A case of ventricular septal defect","volume":"16","author":"I Kanemoto","year":"1983","journal-title":"Advances in Animal Electrocardiography"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"570","article-title":"Congestive heart failure with atrial fibrillation in a rabbit","volume":"121","author":"M Martin","year":"1987","journal-title":"Vet Rec"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1748-5827.2010.01016.x","article-title":"Congestive heart failure in two pet rabbits","volume":"52","author":"B Lord","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Small Animal Practice"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1053\/j.jepm.2017.10.023","article-title":"First description of partial atrioventricular septal defect in a rabbit","volume":"27","author":"N Di Girolamo","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1325","DOI":"10.1292\/jvms.18-0215","article-title":"Ostium secundum type of atrial septal defect in a rabbit","volume":"80","author":"M Nakata","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Vet Med Sci"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1016\/S0195-5616(00)50027-8","article-title":"Vertebral scale system to measure heart size in radiographs","volume":"30","author":"J W Buchanan","year":"2000","journal-title":"Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"707","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.148.23.707","article-title":"Use of breed-specific ranges for the vertebral heart scale as an aid to the radiographic diagnosis of cardiac disease in dogs","volume":"148","author":"C R Lamb","year":"2001","journal-title":"Vet Rec"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"218","DOI":"10.21608\/bvmj.2019.119833","article-title":"Some histological studies on thymus gland of mature and senile rabbits","volume":"36","author":"R Elkammar","year":"2019","journal-title":"Benha Veterinary Medical Journal"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1186\/s13028-017-0340-x","article-title":"Computed tomography of the thorax in rabbits: a prospective study in ten clinically healthy New Zealand white rabbits","volume":"59","author":"D M\u00fcllhaupt","year":"2017","journal-title":"Acta Vet Scand"}],"container-title":["Tier\u00e4rztliche Praxis Ausgabe K: Kleintiere \/ Heimtiere"],"original-title":[],"language":"de","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/products\/ejournals\/pdf\/10.1055\/a-2854-5327.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T22:30:35Z","timestamp":1782945035000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/DOI\/DOI?10.1055\/a-2854-5327"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"03","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1055\/a-2854-5327","archive":["Portico","CLOCKSS"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1434-1239","2567-5842"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1434-1239","type":"print"},{"value":"2567-5842","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}}}