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Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association2021; 62(4); 413-420; doi: 10.1111/vru.12978

Multidetector CT and cone-beam CT have substantial agreement in detecting dental and sinus abnormalities in equine cadaver heads.

Abstract: The performance of cone-beam CT (CBCT) systems compared to conventional helical multidetector CT (MDCT) imaging of the equine head is unknown. The aim of this prospective, method-comparison study was to compare the ability of CBCT and MDCT to detect abnormalities in equine cadaver heads. Eleven equine cadaver heads were scanned using a CBCT scanner and a 64-slice MDCT scanner. Consensus evaluations for CBCT and MDCT scans were performed by three observers. Identified abnormalities were grouped into subcategories with a focus on dental abnormalities. Kappa agreement values between detected abnormalities for CBCT and MDCT methods were calculated. Of 468 teeth evaluated, 122 (26.1%) were found to have abnormalities (including in 58 infundibula and 7 pulps) using MDCT and 105 (22.4%) were found to have abnormalities (including in 52 infundibula and 2 pulps) using CBCT. The agreement between CBCT and MDCT was almost perfect for overall detection of dental abnormalities (k = 0.90) with k = 1 for diastema k = 0.95 for clinical crown abnormalities, and k = 0.93 for infundibular abnormalities. However, the detection of pulp changes by CBCT was only moderate k = 0.44. Increased scatter radiation, non-calibrated Hounsfield Unit and artefacts in CBCT images made accurate identification of the pulp density difficult. In conclusion, CBCT results were similar to conventional MDCT for the majority of dental abnormalities, however, pulp abnormalities were not reliably identified using CBCT, potentially limiting its clinical use for detecting endodontic disease in its current form. Further comparison with more cases with confirmed dental disease and studies in clinical cases are warranted.
© 2021 American College of Veterinary Radiology.
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Publication Date: 2021-05-14 PubMed ID: 33987964DOI: 10.1111/vru.12978Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study compares the ability of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) to detect abnormalities in horse cadaver heads, particularly dental abnormalities. The results indicated a mostly high degree of agreement between the two methods, although CBCT was less reliable in detecting pulp changes.

Research Purpose and Design

  • This study was set up as a prospective, method-comparison study. Its primary objective was to assess the efficiency of CBCT and MDCT in identifying dental and sinus abnormalities in equine cadaver heads.
  • Eleven horse cadaver heads were included in the experiment, all of which were scanned using both a CBCT scanner and a 64-slice MDCT scanner.
  • The images from the scans were then examined by a team of three observers, with the identified abnormalities grouped into subcategories.

Key Findings

  • From the total number of 468 evaluated teeth, abnormalities were detected in 26.1% or 122 teeth via the MDCT method, and in 22.4% or 105 teeth via the CBCT method.
  • The agreement between the two methods was nearly perfect for the overall detection of dental abnormalities, with a kappa agreement value of 0.90. There was complete agreement for diagnosing diastema, and near-perfect agreement for diagnosing clinical crown and infundibular abnormalities.
  • However, when it came to the detection of pulp changes, the CBCT method performed notably worse, with a kappa agreement value of only 0.44. Scatter radiation, non-calibrated Hounsfield Unit and artefacts in CBCT images were cited as factors complicating the identification of pulp density.

Conclusion and Further Research

  • The study concluded that while the CBCT results were highly comparable with MDCT for most of the dental abnormalities detected, its performance in identifying pulp abnormalities was unsatisfactory.
  • This suggests that in its current form, CBCT might not be completely reliable in diagnosing endodontic disease in horses.
  • Given these results, the authors have suggested more extensive comparisons involving a larger number of confirmed dental disease cases, along with future studies involving clinical scenarios.

Cite This Article

APA
van Zadelhoff C, Liuti T, Dixon PM, Reardon RJM. (2021). Multidetector CT and cone-beam CT have substantial agreement in detecting dental and sinus abnormalities in equine cadaver heads. Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 62(4), 413-420. https://doi.org/10.1111/vru.12978

Publication

Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
ISSN: 1740-8261
NlmUniqueID: 9209635
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 62
Issue: 4
Pages: 413-420

Researcher Affiliations

van Zadelhoff, Claudia
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Estate, Roslin, UK.
Liuti, Tiziana
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Estate, Roslin, UK.
Dixon, Padraic M
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Estate, Roslin, UK.
Reardon, Richard J M
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Estate, Roslin, UK.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Artifacts
  • Cadaver
  • Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / veterinary
  • Dentistry / veterinary
  • Head / diagnostic imaging
  • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Multidetector Computed Tomography / veterinary
  • Paranasal Sinuses / diagnostic imaging
  • Reproducibility of Results

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Górski K, Borowska M, Turek B, Pawlikowski M, Jankowski K, Bereznowski A, Polkowska I, Domino M. An application of the density standard and scaled-pixel-counting protocol to assess the radiodensity of equine incisor teeth affected by resorption and hypercementosis: preliminary advancement in dental radiography. BMC Vet Res 2023 Aug 9;19(1):116.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-023-03675-4pubmed: 37559089google scholar: lookup
  2. Stieger-Vanegas SM, Hanna AL. The Role of Computed Tomography in Imaging Non-neurologic Disorders of the Head in Equine Patients. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:798216.
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  3. Klopfenstein Bregger MD, de Preux M, Brünisholz HP, Van der Vekens E, Schweizer D, Koch C. Cheek tooth repulsion aided by computer-assisted surgery in 16 equids. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1571539.
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