Normal canine brain: comparison between magnetic resonance imaging and cross-sectional anatomy.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to compare the normal anatomy and magnetic resonance images of the same canine brain. For that, brains of 7 healthy Beagle dogs were imaged using a 1T MR unit and an IR sequence (T1) and images were compared with the cross-sectional anatomy of the same dog after euthanasia. Among the 11 images giving an excellent correlation with the cross-sectional anatomical analysis, three of them were retained because of their clinical relevance. Relevant anatomical structures were identified using anatomic atlases after repairing the major embryological brain subdivisions. The MR images were characterised by their excellent contrast between the white and grey matters and ventricles and allow the identification of the majority of sulci and gyri but the most of the brainstem nuclei remained difficulty visible. This comparative analysis in Beagle dogs demonstrates that magnetic resonance imaging allows an accurate identification of the main normal brain structures and may useful for improving diagnosis of abnormal structures and lesions.