Veterinary Archives, Vol. 72 No. 2, 2002.
Original scientific paper
Computed tomographic analysis of the cranial cavity and neurocranium in the German shepherd dog (Alsatian) puppies.
Vedat Onar
; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University, Avcýlar, Istanbul, Turkey
K. Oya Kahveciođlu
; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University, Avcýlar, Istanbul, Turkey
Vedat Çebi
; Bakýrköy Radyotom and Radyomar Center, Bakýrköy, Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Fourteen male German shepherds (Alsatian) of 100 and 120 days of age were used in the study. The puppies were divided into two groups of equal numbers. While seven the 100-day-old puppies formed the first group, the second group consisted of the remaining seven puppies with an age of 120 days. Each head was examined in three series of cross-sections: sagittal, horizontal and transversal. The thickness and intervals of scanography were determined to be 5 mm; thus, the process of scanning was repeated for every other section of 5 mm. Maximum crosssectional images of the cranial cavity were used in making craniometric measurements. A comparison of the measurements of the maximum width and height of neurocranium, the maximum zygomatic width and maximum height of cranial cavity revealed that there existed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). The difference of Lengthlength- 1 and Length-length-2 indices of the neurocranium was even greater (P<0.001). As the age of the puppies increased, another significant difference was observed in the Length width- 2 index (P<0.01). The rise in the Length-width-2 index, which is in proportion with age, and the fall in the Length-length-1 and Length-length-2 indices of the neurocranium, which is out of proportion with age, demonstrated that the skulls of the puppies grew to form a long, narrow shape. The authors consider that the data obtained in this study may be of some use in the comparison of brain morphometry to the parameters of cranial cavity, and in the evaluation of cerebral atrophy and like conditions in German shepherds as a dolichocephalic breed.
Keywords
morphometry; cranial cavity; computed tomography; puppies; German shepherd dog
Hrčak ID:
78872
URI
Publication date:
18.4.2002.
Visits: 1.743 *