Computed tomography of the spleen in chickens

Yasamin Vali; Michaela Gumpenberger; Cornelia Konicek; Sina Bagheri

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1153582

Computed tomography of the spleen in chickens

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Jun 1:10:1153582. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1153582. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yasamin Vali¹, Michaela Gumpenberger¹, Cornelia Konicek², Sina Bagheri³

Affiliations

¹ Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
² Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University Clinic for Small Animals, Clinical Unit of Internal Medicine Small Animals, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
³ Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.

Abstract

The avian spleen is an important immune organ in birds and its size can be used as an index of immune system responses in different conditions. Based on the lack of knowledge in computed tomography of the spleen in chickens, the present study was conducted to assess the inter-and intraobserver reliability in the measurement of the spleen dimensions and attenuation, as well as the feasibility of utilization of these measurements as a predictor of different diseases. For these purposes, the spleens of 47 chickens were included in the study. Two observers measured the dimensions and attenuations of the spleen, which were finally compared with the clinical diagnosis. The results showed an excellent interobserver reliability in the length, width, and height of the spleen (ICC: 0.944, 0.906, and 0.938, retrospectively), and a good interobserver reliability was observed during the evaluation of the average Hounsfield units of the spleen (ICC: 0.818). The intraobserver reliability was excellent in all the measurements (ICC > 0.940). Additionally, no statistical differences were detected in the spleen size and attenuation between the normal and diseased groups. Based on the present results, the computed tomographic measurements of the spleen could not predict the clinical diseases of the chickens; however, the low rates of the inter- and intraobserver variability suggest the reliable utilization of these computed tomographic measurements in routine clinical application and follow-up examinations.

Keywords: chickens; computed tomography; immune response; poultry; spleen.