Foramina and canals of skull base in Holstein cattle: a computed tomography study

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the comprehensive morphological and morphometric features of the foramina and canals at the base of the cranial cavity in Holstein cattle using CT images. Materials and methods: The study was performed on 14 adult Holstein cow head cadavers. Images taken with MSCT were transferred to the DICOM Viewer program. The MPR and 3D reconstructive tools of the program were used to analyse the foramina and canals. Results: Although they varied in shape and size, foramina and canals were found bilaterally in all animals. It was observed that the orbitorotund foramen, jugular foramen and oval foramen had a canalicular structure, with the distance between the extra-intra cranial openings measured as being 15.0 mm, 5.9 mm and 6.2 mm, respectively. The hypoglossal canal, which was found to be single in 43%, double in 50% and triple in 7% in each body half, was the canal with the most variation in number and shape. The orbitorotund foramen, a canal with an area of 180.6 mm2 and a diameter of 18.1 × 12.4 mm, was widest at the skull base, while the optic canal was the narrowest and longest opening with an area of 33.4 mm2, a diameter of 8.4 × 5.5 mm, and a length of 17.5 mm. Conclusions: This study shows that our knowledge of skull base morphometry in animals is still extremely limited. Although our study was conducted on a limited number of materials, it could be of benefit to both regional anatomy knowledge in terms of the data presented, and to veterinary anatomists, radiologists and clinicians in terms of methodology.