VHS - Heart Measurement

VHS (Vertebral Heart Score) is a measurement used in veterinary medicine to assess the size and health of the patient’s heart. Select the VHS Measurement from the Advanced Measurement menu and assign the left mouse button to it.

The VHS measurement uses the size of the heart in comparison to the vertebrae in the spine to determine and indicate cardiac abnormalities in patients.

Start the measurement by marking the Bifurcatio tracheae, near the top of the heart.

The image below represents a typical placement of the Bifurcatio tracheae point.

Complete the long axis of the heart by marking the Apex point, near the bottom of the heart.

The image below represents a typical placement of the Apex point.

Continue the measurement by marking the widest right (cranial) point of the short axis of the heart.

The image below represents a typical placement of the most cranial point on the short axis of the heart.

Complete the short axis of the heart by marking the widest left (caudal) point.

The image below represents the typical placement of the most caudal point on the short axis of the heart.

Identify the beginning of the T4 vertebra (the fourth vertebral body of the spine), counting from the initial point of the spine. Mark the beginning of the T4 vertebrae to continue the measurement. The software will draw lines from the marked point along the spine. The length of the lines depends on the measured long and short axes of the heart.

The image below represents the typical placement of the point at the beginning of the fourth vertebral body of the spine.

Before proceeding with the required VHS calculations, make sure that the lines are placed precisely along the vertebrae.

Count the number of vertebrae along the line representing the short axis on the spine. Specify the required vertebrae count in the Vertebrae Count input field in the advanced measurement mode toolbar.

Press Calculate VHS Score to perform the required calculations for the VHS measurement. The VHS score will be shown in the advanced measurement mode toolbar. Additionally, the VHS score will be labeled on the image, as part of the measurement.

The VHS measurement will be active until the user presses the Finish button in the right corner of the advanced measurement mode toolbar.

To recalculate the VHS score of the patient’s heart, double-click on the surface of the entire measurement and open the advanced measurement mode toolbar to modify the required parameters.