Giebl Rainer, Maierl Johann, Tichy Alexander, Eibl Cassandra, Dadak Agnes, Franz Sonja
Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, Centre for Ruminant and Camelid Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Veterinary Faculty, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chair of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Veterinärstrasse 13, 80539 Munich, Germany.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 14;15(12):1762. doi: 10.3390/ani15121762.
This study aimed to perform ultrasonography of the tympanic bulla in healthy, non-sedated camelids for the first time. In the first step, dissection and sonography in cadaver specimens allowed the essential identification of the anatomical structures of the region of interest. Ultrasonography of the tympanic bulla was then performed on 71 healthy llamas and alpacas, and the length of the visible lateral bulla wall was measured sonographically. The reproducibility of measuring was determined between two examiners. Differences in length and the influences of gender, age, and body condition scores were monitored. A 10 MHz linear probe was positioned in the rostrocaudal and dorsoventral directions caudal to the mandibular ramus and ventral to the base of the ear using a lateral approach. The equipment used proved to be appropriate to visualize the tympanic bulla, the zygomatic bone, the paracondylar process, the external ear canal, and the parotid gland in the cadaver specimens and all live animals. Llamas revealed a significantly longer visible lateral bulla wall than alpacas, but its length was not influenced by gender, body condition score, or age. In alpacas, older females showed a significantly shorter tympanic bulla wall. The intra- and inter-observer reliability yielded a significant agreement. Based on this study's results, ultrasonography may serve as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting osseous and soft-tissue changes in camelids with otitis media.
本研究旨在首次对健康、未镇静的骆驼科动物的鼓泡进行超声检查。第一步，对尸体标本进行解剖和超声检查，以便对感兴趣区域的解剖结构进行基本识别。然后对71只健康的美洲驼和羊驼进行鼓泡超声检查，并通过超声测量可见鼓泡外侧壁的长度。确定了两名检查者之间测量的可重复性。监测长度差异以及性别、年龄和身体状况评分的影响。使用外侧入路，将一个10兆赫的线性探头置于下颌支尾侧、耳基部腹侧的前后和背腹方向。所使用的设备被证明适用于在尸体标本和所有活体动物中观察鼓泡、颧骨、髁突、外耳道和腮腺。美洲驼的可见鼓泡外侧壁明显比羊驼长，但其长度不受性别、身体状况评分或年龄的影响。在羊驼中，年龄较大的雌性鼓泡壁明显较短。观察者内和观察者间的可靠性显示出显著的一致性。基于本研究结果，超声检查可作为一种非侵入性诊断工具，用于检测患有中耳炎的骆驼科动物的骨质和软组织变化。
