Morphometrical Study of the European Shorthair Cat Skull Using Computed Tomography
Joana Ramos, Inês Viegas, Hugo Pereira, João Requicha
Abstract
This study aimed to perform a morphometric analysis of the skull of the European shorthair cat by using computed tomographic images. Thirty-seven computed tomography (CT) studies of healthy cats' heads were used for linear measurements and index calculations of the skull and cranium. The following values were determined: skull length = 8.94 ± 0.45 cm, cranial length = 8.21 ± 0.42 cm, nasal length = 0.73 ± 0.17 cm, cranial width = 4.28 ± 0.26 cm, cranial index = 52.18 ± 3.75%, internal height of cranium = 2.88 ± 0.29 cm, external height of cranium = 3.35 ± 0.12 cm, internal length of the cranium = 5.53 ± 0.28 cm, external length of the cranium = 6.32 ± 0.28 cm, internal cranium index = 45.62 ± 4.77%, external cranium index = 53.06 ± 2.07%, internal cranium and skull index = 61.93 ± 2.38%, external cranium and skull index = 70.70 ± 1.72%, width of the foramen magnum = 1.34 ± 0.07 cm, height of the foramen magnum = 1.01 ± 0.09 cm, and foramen magnum index = 75.37 ± 5.76%. It was also found that the population was homogeneous, with the exception of nasal length (NL), and that there was a sexual dimorphism present, with males exhibiting higher dimensions. This work contributed to characterizing the morphometry of the cranium and skull of the domestic cat, a knowledge of utmost importance for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting this complex anatomical region.