Six cadaver pelvic limbs were obtained from clinically sound dromedary camels and examined radiographically and ultrasonographically using a 7.5 MHz convex transducer. Radiographic examination was performed in dorsoplantar, lateromedial, dorsolateral-plantaromedial oblique and plantarolateral-dorsomedial oblique projections, and the bony structures and articulations of the tarsal joint were outlined. The tarsus was ultrasonographically investigated in four planes (dorsal, medial, lateral and plantar), and each plane was scrutinized in four levels (calcaneal tuber, tibial malleoli, base of calcaneus and proximal end of metatarsus) in both transverse and longitudinal views. Limbs were examined grossly, frozen at -20°C and sectioned. Radiographic and ultrasonographic findings correlated well with the gross anatomy and frozen sections. The normal appearance of bony and soft structures of the tarsus described in this study provided basic reference data for ultrasonographic and radiographic investigations of tarsal disorders in the dromedary camel.
© 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.