The prevalence of aberrant turbinates and nasal septum deviation in a Portuguese population of French bulldogs

TL;DR

This study examines the prevalence of nasal abnormalities in French Bulldogs and their potential role in breathing issues.

Contribution

The study reports the prevalence of nasal septum deviation and aberrant turbinates in French Bulldogs without upper airway obstruction.

Findings

Nasal septum deviation was found in 69% of the studied French Bulldogs.

Caudal aberrant turbinates were observed in 64% of the dogs.

Body weight influenced the likelihood of certain nasal abnormalities.

Abstract

The presence of nasal septum deviation (NSD) and aberrant turbinates alters normal nasal airflow. The role of NSD in brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is unclear but, together with other anatomical alterations such as aberrant turbinates, may alter nasal airflow, increasing upper airway resistance. This retrospective study reports the prevalence of rostral (RAT) and caudal (CAT) aberrant turbinates, and NSD in a population of 45 French Bulldogs without clinical manifestations of upper airway obstruction who underwent head computed tomography (CT) for reasons unrelated to BOAS. Forty-five French Bulldogs were studied, and NSD, RAT, and CAT were identified in 69%, 44%, and 64% of cases, respectively. Animals weighing 11 - 14 kg were more likely to have NSD than animals weighing 8 - 11 kg. Conversely, animals weighing 8 – 11 kg were more likely to present CAT than animals weighing 11 - 14 kg, with a marginal statistical significance. No correlations were observed between body weight and RAT, nor between body weight and gender or reproductive status. The higher frequency of NSD-affected French Bulldogs observed in our study, when compared to previous studies in French Bulldogs with BOAS, suggests that NSD may play a minor role in upper airway obstruction within the entire bundle of anatomical aberrations present in the skull of French Bulldogs. On the other hand, RAT may play a more significant role in the development of clinical manifestations of upper airway obstruction.

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