Computertomographische Untersuchung des Thorax bei 30 Ziegen

In this study, 30 clinically healthy female Saanen goats underwent computed tomography of the thorax using a seventh generation, multi-layer, computed tomographic (CT) scanner. All the goats were euthanized (n=15) or slaughtered (n=15) immediately after CT examination. After euthanasia, the goats were placed in sternal recumbency, in the same position used for CT examination, and frozen at -18°C for preparation of transverse slices (1.0 - 1.5 cm thick) of the thorax. The CT images were compared to the anatomic specimens to confirm the identity of structures seen in the CT images. The images and anatomic sections were compiled to produce a detailed atlas of the cross-sectional anatomy of the thorax of the goat. It also included normal measurements obtained from the native CT images of the thoracic structures. These measurements provide a reference for the diagnosis of abnormal findings. The variables assessed were adopted from the field of conventional small animal radiography and could be easily applied to both computer tomography and goats. Thus, these novel measurements obtained in goats could be compared to those reported for dogs and cats. Only the measurements within the pulmonary parenchyma were of limited value as normal references because all the goats had pulmonary lesions. The four basic patterns of lung lesions established in human medicine for evaluating CT images were very useful for classifying the pulmonary abnormalities in the CT images of this study.