{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:16:38Z","timestamp":1760058998206,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,19]],"date-time":"2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747612800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Internal project 6059","award":["6059 USAMV Cluj"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["6059 USAMV Cluj"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study evaluated attenuation values of lumbar epaxial musculature in dogs with acute spinal pathology using computed tomography (CT) and compared them with values in dogs without spinal disease. Sixty client-owned dogs were included: thirty dogs with thoracolumbar spinal lesions (intervertebral disc herniation) and thirty control dogs without spinal abnormalities. Mean Hounsfield unit (HU) values of epaxial muscles (multifidus\u2013longissimus\u2013iliocostalis group) were measured bilaterally at three lumbar levels for each dog\u2014one level cranial to the lesion, the lesion level, and one level caudal to the lesion; for controls, the corresponding segments were T13, L1, L2, and L3. Dogs with spinal pathology showed a significant local decrease in muscle HU at the lesion site (average ~48 HU) compared to the segment cranial to the lesion (~50\u201351 HU, p &lt; 0.01). In contrast, control dogs had relatively uniform muscle HU (~52\u201354 HU) across T13\u2013L3 with no significant differences between these levels. Side to side differences were minimal in both groups. A logistic regression using the HU drop between segments correctly classified ~70% of cases, indicating moderate diagnostic value. Age and breed influenced overall muscle HU; older dogs had lower values (r = \u20130.39, p = 0.03 in controls), and French Bulldogs showed lower HU than other breeds. In conclusion, dogs with acute thoracolumbar disc herniation exhibit a focal reduction in paraspinal muscle HU at the lesion level. This acute change is subtle but detectable with CT and may serve as an additional indicator of lesion presence or chronicity, although its clinical utility requires further investigation in larger studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15101468","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,19]],"date-time":"2025-05-19T11:54:26Z","timestamp":1747655666000},"page":"1468","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluation of Attenuation of Lumbar Epaxial Musculature in Dogs with Spinal Pathology"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6486-783X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert Cristian","family":"Purdoiu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ionu\u021b Claudiu","family":"Voicule\u021b","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joana Alexandra","family":"Aldea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Radu","family":"L\u0103c\u0103tu\u0219","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Teodora","family":"Patrichi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9324-4001","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Felix Daniel","family":"Lucaci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4301-8476","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tatjana","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Diagnostics and Clinical Services, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrick","family":"Kircher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Diagnostics and Clinical Services, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sorin Marian","family":"M\u00e2rza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea M\u0103n\u0103\u0219tur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1152\/jappl.2000.89.1.104","article-title":"Skeletal Muscle Attenuation Determined by Computed Tomography Is Associated with Skeletal Muscle Lipid Content","volume":"89","author":"Goodpaster","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. 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