Morphometry of the cranial cavity of dogs of brachycephalic breeds

Abstract

Morphometric studies of the skull in dogs are mainly aimed at studying the relationship between the facial and cerebral divisions in different breeds of dogs, their morphotyping and analysis of the skull as a whole, without taking into account the characteristics of the cranial cavity parameters. In dogs of brachycephalic breeds, these studies are of particular value in view of their tendency to impaired cerebral circulation and increased intracranial pressure due to the structural features of the skull. The purpose of the study is to provide a morphometric characterization of the cranial cavity of brachycephalic breed dogs. The research method is computed tomography, French Bulldog dogs were included in the group of dogs for the study. The average age of the animals included in the study was 4 years, all animals were over 2 years old and had no history of head pathology. A total of 12 dogs were examined. During morphometry, the parameters of the maximum width, height and length of the cranial cavity, similar parameters of the cerebral part of the skull, as well as the zygomatic width and total length of the skull were determined. The morphometric data obtained was used to calculate indices reflecting the relative parameters of the cranial cavity. Of the studied parameters of the cranial cavity, the largest is its length, which on average reaches a value of 6.57± 0.33 cm. The width of the cranial cavity is 1.29 times lower than the length, but 1.06 times higher than the height of the cranial cavity. The index of the cranial cavity is 77.58. of the studied parameters of the cranial region of the skull, similar to measurements of the cranial cavity, the largest is its length, which on average reaches a value of 8.63± 0.59 cm. However, the values of width and height are not directly correlated with similar indicators of the cranial cavity. The height of the cerebral region is 1.35 times less than its length and 1.15 times greater than its width. The comparison of indices reflecting the craniometric parameters of the cranial cavity and the cerebral skull is in direct correlation with the absolute values.