The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiographic positioning techniques used in local animal hospitals, identify the most common positioning problem, and determine whether there were changes after teleradiology consultations. From September 2016 to April 2021, 15 local animal hospitals that requested radiographic interpretation more than 10 times and for more than six cases of thoracic radiographs were selected. Six sets of two-views of (lateral and ventrodorsal [VD] or dorsoventral [DV] views) digital thoracic radiographs from six dogs per hospital were evaluated in four categories. For the lateral view, radiographic technique scores used in ten local animal hospitals improved, one remained the same, and four became worse. For the VD/DV view, the score for eleven hospitals improved and worsened for four. The most common problem was rotation (57/90) for the lateral view, followed by an inappropriate field of view (59/90), and incorrect beam center (71/90). For the VD/DV view, an inappropriate field of view (54/90) was the most common problem, followed by asymmetry (63/90), and incorrect beam center (73/90). Every factor, except rotation in the lateral view, improved after obtaining technical consultation; however, the degrees of improvement were not remarkable. There was no significant correlation between the number of requests and the degree of improvement. According to the results, the radiographic technique used in local animal hospitals was improved by technical advice on teleradiology. These changes make it possible to provide accurate diagnoses of the requested images. There are some limitations regarding the indicators of evaluation and the number of cases; therefore, further studies that use detailed indicators in large cohort group are needed. In addition, an effective method of teaching should be developed to improve radiographic techniques in local animal hospitals.

Caval syndrome is a severe complication of canine heartworm disease in which affected dogs present with various clinical signs that are often life-threatening. In cases of severe infection, adulticidal treatment has numerous complications as a result of a marked immune response against dead worms. Therefore, several surgical and non-surgical methods, including interventional extraction, have been applied in veterinary medicine. Despite the usefulness and efficiency of conventional retrieval devices, a few associated limitations must be addressed to reduce their risks and increase their applicability. Herein, we introduced a case of treating three dogs with caval syndrome by applying a newly developed heartworm basket device. The dogs were diagnosed with heartworm disease by heartworm antigen testing and direct smear. Imaging findings revealed remarkable remodeling of the right heart and pulmonary vessels and the presence of heartworms in the right heart. Additionally, heartworms were confirmed in the distal part of the abdominal aorta and femoral arteries in one dog, indicating aberrant systemic migration of the worms. Under general anesthesia, the heartworm basket device was introduced into the right heart via femoral venotomy and arteriotomy in one dog and jugular venotomy in the other two dogs. Although the number of cases in this study was small, the basket device was successful in gradual and cautious extraction of the heartworms in all three dogs. They exhibited good prognosis of clinical symptoms as indicated by imaging analyses.