Abstract
Objective: The sutures are associated with anatomical and physiological differences in skull camels. There is a deficiency in the information regarding the anatomy of dromedary camels, especially on fibrous joints (sutures) of the camels skull.
Aim: The goal of this work was to give a detailed gross anatomical and radiographic description of the sutures in the camels skull. This description may be of great importance for the veterinarians to differentiate between the suture and the fracture of the head in the radiographic photos.
Methods: The current study was conducted on 10 skulls of the Howar dromedary camel at 4-10 months old. The skulls were prepared by using the boiling and maceration technique. The gross and radiographic photos of the sutures were taken using a digital camera and Siemens mobile full-wave X-ray machine (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany).
Results: The skull is made up of nineteen bones -six single and thirteen paired-the majorities of which are joined by joints termed as sutures. The sutures of the camel skulls were viewed in dorsal, ventral, lateral-vertical, and inside directions. They were of four types which are the coronal, serrate, plane, and squamosal sutures in different positions of the skull.
Conclusion: The current study showed that the fibrous joints of camel skulls (sutures) were similar to those of other domestic animals. This information is critical for supporting veterinarians to differentiate sutures from fractures that may have happened in the skull of the dromedary camel using radiological pictures.