Differentiation of canine calcium oxalate and canine struvite stones using computed tomography

Abstract

This study was performed to differentiate calcium oxalate and struvite canine urinary stones using computed tomography. A total of 38 urinary stones (8 calcium oxalate and 30 struvite) were scanned using a computed tomography scanner. These urinary stones (10-15 mm diameter) extracted surgically without fragmentation were obtained from the different individual patients. The stone’s Hounsfield units(HU) values, heterogenicity, and roughness of surface were evaluated to differentiate calcium oxalate and struvite. The HU values of calcium oxalate were significantly higher than those of struvite. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve revealed 1272 as the best threshold value to distinguish calcium oxalate from struvite (ROC curve AUC 0.87, p < 0.0014). The heterogenicity of calcium oxalate and struvite significantly differed on bone and dental window setting (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between calcium oxalate and struvite in roughness of surface. On computed tomographic images, bone and dental windows setting were useful for evaluation of heterogenicity between calcium oxalate and struvite. The HU value and heterogenicity are highly promising factor that can distinguish calcium oxalate and struvite with reasonable accuracy. ? 2015, Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics. All rights reserved.