MRI Features of the Vomeronasal Organ in Dogs (Canis Familiaris)

Michał Dzięcioł; Przemysław Podgórski; Ewa Stańczyk; Antoni Szumny; Martyna Woszczyło; Barbara Pieczewska; Wojciech Niżański; Józef Nicpoń; Marcin Adam Wrzosek

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00159

MRI Features of the Vomeronasal Organ in Dogs (Canis Familiaris)

Front Vet Sci. 2020 Mar 24:7:159. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00159. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Michał Dzięcioł¹, Przemysław Podgórski², Ewa Stańczyk³, Antoni Szumny⁴, Martyna Woszczyło¹, Barbara Pieczewska¹, Wojciech Niżański¹, Józef Nicpoń³, Marcin Adam Wrzosek⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Reproduction and Clinic of Farm Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
² Department of General Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology Wroclaw, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
³ Center of Experimental Diagnostics and Innovative Biomedical Technologies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
⁵ Department of Internal Diseases With Clinic for Horses, Dogs and Cats, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.

Abstract

According to current knowledge, the vomeronasal organ (VNO, Jacobson's organ) is the structure responsible for semiochemical signal detection. In dogs and other mammals, it is located close to the vomer and palatine processes of the incisive and maxillary bones. Although there are reports describing the anatomy and histology of this structure, there are limited available reports assessing this organ in live individuals and no direct visualization reports in dogs. The aim of this study was 2-fold: (1) preparation and optimization of a protocol for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the VNO in a cadaver study with precise visualization and localization, and (2) characterization of the physiological VNO image features in MRI of live dogs. The first part of the study was performed on 10 beagle cadavers, the second on 8 live beagle dogs. For the VNO visualization, a 1.5T MRI (Philips® Ingenia) scanner and 20-channel digital head-neck spine coil were used (Philips®, Holland). The cadaver study allowed confirmation of the organ's location by the topical application of an MRI contrast agent (gadolinium) via the external entrance of the VNO canal. Accurate delineation of the VNO was obtained using a high resolution submillimeter three-dimensional T1-fast field echo (FFE) 3D sequence. Imaging of the VNO in 8 living dogs allowed the description of the morphological MRI features and direct evaluation of its shape and size. The results obtained demonstrate the ability to visualize the VNO in vivo and to evaluate its structure in dogs.

Keywords: Jacobson's organ; MRI; VNO; dogs; semiochemical communication.