CT anatomy of cervical vertebrae of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)

Abstract

Background Elephants are currently the largest mammals on earth. A comprehensive examination of the anatomy of this animal to diagnose various disorders is required. In addition, due to the heavy head of these animals, adaptations have been made in the anatomical structure of the neck that is worth studying. Objective This study aimed to investigate a standard morphologic and morphometric description of the elephant cervical spine. Another aim of this study was to compare the changes in the cervical skeleton of elephants with horses and cattle. Methods For this study, the cervical vertebrae of the Asian elephant, cattle and horse were examined. CT Images were obtained using Somatom Spirit II CT Machine. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 24 software. Results Two dorsal tubercles and a groove between them were observed on the dorsal arch of the atlas vertebra of the Asian elephant. In elephant samples, the variation of vertebral body height, spinous process height, transverse process width, vertebral body length and vertebral foramen volume indices were statistically significant. The volume of the vertebral foramen in the elephant decreases in the second vertebra compared to the first vertebra, decreases in the third vertebra, decreases in the fourth, increases in the fifth, decreases in the sixth and increases in the seventh. Conclusions In this study, the structure of the cervical vertebrae of the Asian elephant was examined, and certain features were observed. One of the main features was the reduction of the length of the vertebrae, which leads to the decrease of the ratio of neck length to the size of the body. This condition can be due to the high weight of the head in the elephant. To maintain this weight, it is necessary to reduce the length of the neck and confer less mobility.

3D Reconstruction of the Blood Supply in an Elephant’s Forefoot Using Fused CT and MRI Sequences

“…Anatomical descriptions of elephants are often based on standard anatomical and histological techniques, focusing on microanatomy and biomechanics together with musculoskeletal anatomy [19][20][21]. Computer tomography is also used for studying the skeleton and bones, including the fine structure of the bones [22]. A combination of these, with more advanced technologies such as X-ray fluorescence [23], radiography, MRI, and immunohistochemistry, was introduced in studies which demonstrated the detailed anatomy of the stifle [14] and the brain [13].…”

CT anatomy of the lungs, bronchi and trachea in the Mature Guinea pig (cavia porcellus)

“…The most prominent advantage of these techniques is that anatomical structures can be investigated in live animals. Diagnostic imaging techniques are very suitable for anatomical studies of the coelomic cavity organs of animals such as turtles that are difficult to access, and methods such as CT scans have been used for these studies (Zehtabvar et al, 2014(Zehtabvar et al, , 2015(Zehtabvar et al, , 2022a(Zehtabvar et al, , 2022b. In addition, other methods such as ultrasonography have been used to study the anatomy of the heart structure in sturgeons (Zehtabvar et al, 2018(Zehtabvar et al, , 2019.…”

“…Among these methods, CT scan is a precise method for topographic and morphometric studies, especially about the structures of the respiratory system. One of the most important features of using these techniques in anatomy studies is that there is no need to euthanise the studied animal (Zehtabvar et al, 2022a(Zehtabvar et al, , 2022b.…”