Results of ultrasonic examination of the testes of the Hyrax (<i> Procavia capensis</i>)

Abstract

The anatomical norm of testes location for Cape hyraxes is in the retroperitoneal space. It seems interesting to describe the testes of this animal from the point of view of ultrasound diagnostics. According to research, the testes were well visualized and determined caudoventral to the kidneys (the left testis was at the level of 4-5 lumbar vertebrae, the right one was at the level of 5-6 lumbar vertebrae), were symmetrical relative to each other, oval in shape, with even contours, clear boundaries, hypoechoic (comparable in echogenicity to the liver parenchyma of this animal), with homogeneous echostructure, with an artifact of the side shadow (indicates the presence of a capsule) and distal damping (indirectly indicates the density of the tissue), no typical formations were visualized. The trabecula was hyperechoic and the caudal appendage was heterogeneous in its echostructure. The ultrasound picture of the testis of the Cape hyrax does not differ from that of other animal species such as dogs. An exception is the topographic position of the testes. Thus, the study can be guided by standard atlases for the description of ultrasound of small animals.