Radiographic evaluation of Tympanic bulla, Temporomandibular joint and related structures in cats

The study material consisted of ten healthy cats who were brought to Balıkesir University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Animal Hospital and did not have any clinical findings of head trauma, ear disease, respiratory system disease, or dental disease, forming the control group, and ten cats with signs of upper respiratory tract infection and disease affecting the middle ear. It created a total of twenty cats. Radiographs of the animals used in the study were taken in 5 different positions (ventrodorsal (VD) or dorsoventral (DV), bilateral lateral, and bilateral oblique). A 10° sponge ramp was used for bilateral oblique position x-rays of the animals. Ventro-dorsal or DV position was performed by selecting the comfortable position according to the patient's condition, stress, and clinical condition. Two observers carried out scoring and measurements, and a common decision was reached between them. Images were evaluated, and measurements were made using a 2-point (0-1) scale system based on the radiographs taken. These measurements aimed to determine the presence of any different radiological findings by comparing the measurements of the healthy cats, which are the control group, with the radiographic measurements of the sick cats. In our thesis study, the increase in tympanic bulla (TB) length was directly proportional to increasing age. In the radiographic evaluation of cats diagnosed with otitis media, increased radiopacity in TB was detected at 75%, and increased tympanic bulla wall thickness at 100%. The wall of a TB with increased radiopacity was observed to be thicker than the wall of an air-filled TB. It was observed that the wall thickness increased in all cats with sinonasal disease. It was concluded that measuring the right TB wall thickness on radiography was meaningful. It was observed that the TB wall measurements of cats diagnosed with polyps increased in thickness and increased opacity in TB. While the outward rotation of the processus coronoideus was examined in evaluating the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), some cases in which the symmetry was slightly shifted gave false positive results because the shootings were not performed under anesthesia.