Radiographic and Computed Tomographic Anatomy of the Donkey Carpus

Abstract

Introduction Joint diseases represent most of the musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to make a radiographic and computed tomographic analysis of the structures of the donkey carpus and investigate carpal joint affections. Materials and MethodsThe study was performed with the use of cross-sectional anatomy, digital X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans. Twelve adult donkeys were used. Results The results provide a full description of the bones and soft tissues of the carpus. The carpal joint was examined at many levels using different CT and X-ray planes. The carpus was studied through bone and soft-tissue windows that were compared with cadaver cross-sections for interpretation. The study revealed some joint affections that were detected by the CT scans but were unapparent in X-ray films, such as bony cysts, hemorrhagic bony cysts, old and microfractures, and bony sclerosis. Some normal anatomic variants were recorded during the examination of the CT scans to assist the equine practitioners that deal with the carpal joints of donkeys. Conclusion Both imaging techniques are suitable for the examination of the carpus, and the selection of the technique is conditioned to many factors, like the type of tissue affected and economic reasons, such as the availability of the apparatus and the cost of the animal.Mohamed A.M. Alsafy's ORCID is https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6236-4801.

A Descriptive Study of the Carpal Joint of Healthy Donkeys Using Ultrasonography, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…The osseous cyst-like lesions observed at the second, third, and fourth carpal bones as oval shapes with regular margins were surrounded by sclerotic rims of different sizes; these findings are consistent with those obtained by [ 28 , 45 , 46 ]. CT could detect these cysts, but not X-ray imaging due to the increased bone mineral density, as revealed by [ 47 ].…”

“…Nonetheless, our findings are relatively consistent compared to the results in the regions assessed in [ 13 , 28 , 42 ]. The ECR, CDE, and ECO tendons appeared as a bright gray image while the DDFT appeared as a hyperdense, oval structure and the SDFT appeared as hypodense and smoothly marginated with clearly differentiated borders [ 13 ].…”

“…Traditional imaging modalities are in some cases unable to visualize the entire soft tissue and osseous structures of the carpus in donkeys; however, CT can overcome this limitation. CT is an outstanding modality for obtaining tomographic images of the distal limb in equines with a higher spatial resolution and soft tissue difference without the superimposition of the covering structures [ 14 , 28 ]. There is a high degree of similarity between CT images of the carpus region in donkeys and those in horses reported in previous studies, which helps in evaluating abnormal CT scans of the carpus in equines [ 18 , 35 ].…”

“…The CT scan of the carpus was performed with a multislice CT machine (Asteion Super 4, Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan) with 120 kV, 160 mA, and 2.0 mm slice width in transverse, sagittal, and 3D scans with bone and soft tissue window image reforms based on [ 28 ]. An original scout view was deployed to test for symmetry and to confirm that the entire district was involved in the image.…”