{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T02:39:28Z","timestamp":1785465568230,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]],"date-time":"2021-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638316800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The vertebral heart scale (VHS) was proposed by Buchanan and Bucheler as an objective method for estimating heart size in dogs. However, several studies have reported significant variation between breeds. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the VHS and to suggest a useful upper limit for normal heart size in Brittany Spaniels. The VHS was measured using a right lateral view in twenty-eight normal dogs and fifteen dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease. The mean \u00b1 SD (standard deviation) VHS was 10.6 \u00b1 0.2 vertebrae (v) in the normal dogs, which differs significantly from the mean VHS of 9.7 \u00b1 0.5 v in Buchanan\u2019s original study with dogs of various breeds. The VHS in the dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease was 11.9 \u00b1 1.1 v. With a threshold value of 11.1 vertebrae, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for diagnosing a cardiomegaly are 90%, 72%, 53% and 96%, respectively.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci8120300","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,2]],"date-time":"2021-12-02T02:56:14Z","timestamp":1638413774000},"page":"300","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Vertebral Heart Scale for the Brittany Spaniel: Breed-Specific Range and Its Correlation with Heart Disease Assessed by Clinical and Echocardiographic Findings"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Anthony","family":"Kallassy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Veterinary School of Nantes, Oniris, Atlanpole, La Chantrerie, 44300 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elodie","family":"Calendrier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Veterinary School of Nantes, Oniris, Atlanpole, La Chantrerie, 44300 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nora","family":"Bouhsina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Veterinary School of Nantes, Oniris, Atlanpole, La Chantrerie, 44300 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5336-9352","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marion","family":"Fusellier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Veterinary School of Nantes, Oniris, Atlanpole, La Chantrerie, 44300 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1127","DOI":"10.1111\/jvim.15488","article-title":"ACVIM consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs","volume":"33","author":"Keene","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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