{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T06:12:45Z","timestamp":1788502365555,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788480000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Elbow dysplasia is a leading cause of forelimb lameness in medium- to large-breed dogs, and computed tomography (CT) is the imaging modality of choice for assessment of the medial coronoid process. Image quality depends on patient positioning and tube current, but their effects have not been systematically compared.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Aims<\/jats:title>\n To compare the image quality of two canine elbow CT positioning protocols (dorsal recumbency: head in neutral position, both elbows scanned together vs. lateral recumbency: head\/neck flexed caudally, elbows scanned separately), and to evaluate the influence of tube current and its interaction with these protocols.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Prospective experimental cadaver study on twenty canine cadavers (40 elbows). All cadavers were scanned in both positions at 150\u202fmA; a subgroup of eight was additionally scanned at 300\u202fmA. Quantitative outcomes were signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios in bone- and soft-tissue-kernels. Qualitative outcomes, assessed by three observers, were paired-preference reads of four criteria: bone conspicuity, soft-tissue conspicuity, and artifacts in bone- and soft-tissue window. Inter- and intra-observer agreement were quantified for the bone conspicuity criterion.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Lateral recumbency produced significantly higher signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios than dorsal recumbency for all four outcomes (all\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.001 at 150\u202fmA). Doubling the tube current from 150 to 300\u202fmA did not produce a statistically significant within-recumbency improvement (all\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \n \n \u2265<\/mml:mo>\n <\/mml:math>\n <\/jats:inline-formula>\n 0.058). Lateral recumbency at 150\u202fmA remained superior to dorsal at 300\u202fmA on all four outcomes (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.002 to 0.013). Qualitatively, observers almost unanimously preferred lateral recumbency for the artifact criteria and for soft-tissue conspicuity (99\u2013100% lateral). For bone conspicuity, 31% of paired comparisons were ties; lateral was preferred in 60.6% of non-tie ratings (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.008).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Lateral recumbency, scanning the elbows separately with head and neck flexed caudally, provides superior objective image quality, and increased tube current does not compensate for suboptimal positioning. The observer-perceived advantage for bone conspicuity was inconsistent. For routine orthopedic CT focused on the medial coronoid process, dorsal recumbency remains a reasonable choice; lateral recumbency should be preferred when artifact reduction or soft-tissue evaluation is clinically important.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1914425","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T05:30:01Z","timestamp":1788499801000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of recumbency and tube current on image quality of canine elbow computed tomography"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"S. R.","family":"Bellekom","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IVC Evidensia Referral Hospital Hart van Brabant","place":["Waalwijk, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Dekkers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IVC Evidensia Referral Hospital Hart van Brabant","place":["Waalwijk, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Beukers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IVC Evidensia Referral Hospital Hart van Brabant","place":["Waalwijk, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s40575-020-0080-5","article-title":"Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK","volume":"7","author":"O\u2019Neill","year":"2020","journal-title":"Canine Med Genet"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1186\/s12917-021-02997-5","article-title":"Computed tomography findings in a cohort of 169 dogs with elbow dysplasia\u2014a retrospective study","volume":"17","author":"Hebel","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Vet Res"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tvjl.2012.11.009","article-title":"Canine elbow dysplasia: Aetiopathogenesis and current treatment recommendations","volume":"196","author":"Michelsen","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vet J"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/vru.70092","article-title":"Shape and variability of the normal medial coronoid process by computed tomography in young adult Labrador retrievers","volume":"66","author":"van der Laan","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vet Radiol Ultrasound"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1400","DOI":"10.2460\/ajvr.2002.63.1400","article-title":"Computed tomography of the elbow joint in clinically normal dogs","volume":"63","author":"De Rycke","year":"2002","journal-title":"Am J Vet Res"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"883","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci12090883","article-title":"Cross-modality diagnostic agreement in canine medial coronoid disease in a screening population: radiographs vs. CT in 424 elbow joints","volume":"12","author":"Vali","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1626472","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1626472","article-title":"Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced CT for elbow joint disorders in dogs","volume":"12","author":"Rohr","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref8","volume-title":"The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging","author":"Bushberg","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"213","DOI":"10.2967\/jnmt.106.037846","article-title":"Principles of CT: radiation dose and image quality","volume":"35","author":"Goldman","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Nucl Med Technol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1679","DOI":"10.1148\/rg.246045065","article-title":"Artifacts in CT: recognition and avoidance","volume":"24","author":"Barrett","year":"2004","journal-title":"Radiographics"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.2217\/iim.12.13","article-title":"CT artifacts: causes and reduction techniques","volume":"4","author":"Boas","year":"2012","journal-title":"Imaging Med"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejro.2022.100467","article-title":"Imaging techniques in veterinary medicine. Part II: computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine","volume":"10","author":"Greco","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur J Radiol Open"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.2307\/2529310","article-title":"The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data","volume":"33","author":"Landis","year":"1977","journal-title":"Biometrics"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.1111\/vru.13076","article-title":"Feasibility of low-dose CT protocols for evaluating the sinonasal cavity and reducing radiation exposure in dogs","volume":"63","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vet Radiol Ultrasound"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1186\/s13244-025-02037-y","article-title":"Objective assessment of diagnostic image quality in CT scans: what radiologists and researchers need to know","volume":"16","author":"Hoeijmakers","year":"2025","journal-title":"Insights Imaging"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1111\/vru.12823","article-title":"Standing CT of the equine head: reducing radiation dose maintains image quality","volume":"61","author":"Davies","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vet Radiol Ultrasound"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1914425\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T05:30:02Z","timestamp":1788499802000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1914425\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"references-count":16,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2026.1914425"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1914425","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"article-number":"1914425"}}