Topography of the medullar cone in the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis Sclater, 1882): Case report

Abstract

Epidural anesthesia is one of the most common anesthetic techniques used because it is safe, efficient and can be quickly implemented. However, for each species undergoing this procedure, precise knowledge of the topography of the medullar cone is necessary. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the topography of the medullar cone of the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis), in order to provide relevant anatomical data for the practice of epidural anesthesia on this species. We used an exemplary young male, from the Bauxite Mine area (Paragominas, PA), which died of natural causes and was fixed and stored in 10% aqueous formaldehyde. The animal was dissected by removing the skin and epiaxial musculature, followed by the section and removal of vertebral arches, which exposed the medullar cone. The specimen studied had seven lumbar and three sacralvertebras. After the separation of the anatomical structures, the conus medullaris was measured with a digital caliper. The lumbar intumescence was located between L3 and L6, the medullar cone was observed in L7 and its apex in the S3, and had a total length of 3.9cm. We suggest that the sacrocaudal region is the most appropriate place to perform epidural anesthesia in Atelocynus microtis.

Keywords

• Atelocynus microtis
• Medullar cone
• Vertebro-medullar topography