Tracheal collapse in an 11 year-old Boston Terrier

Abstract

Tracheal collapse in dogs is an acquired disease with a presumptive genetic basis mostly affecting toy and miniature breeds. It results in a characteristic chronic honking cough. End stage respiratory disease is multifactorial, associated with sterile or infectious bronchitis, atelectasis, and bronchiectasis. Diagnosis in veterinary medicine is classically reached by radiographs, which have low sensitivity when compared to higher resolution methods such as CT or bronchoscopy. Fluoroscopy allows for dynamic study without the need for anesthesia. In this case, the diagnosis of tracheal and bronchial collapse was missed by serial radiographs, but confirmed by CT, bronchoscopy, and fluoroscopy. This affords the opportunity to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the different imaging modalities.