Abstract

The present study investigated the collaboration between the plastinated sagittal sections and computed tomography (CT) images of the donkey brain. Four adult healthy donkeys of both sexes from native breeds were analyzed. The animals were sedated with a combination of xylazine and ketamine. The donkeys were positioned in sternal recumbency during CT brain examination and contiguous sagittal 3 mm thick slices of the head were obtained. Polyester resin 40 (P40) technique for the brains were done through five main steps including fixation, slicing, dehydration, forced impregnation and light-curing of brain glass chambers by UVA light source. Furthermore, a survey was conducted using questionnaires involving second-year veterinary medical students of anatomy department, Zagazig University to compare the educational capacity of CT brain images and P40 plastination of brain slices. 52% of students voted that using of brain sheeted slices are much better, 38% prefer to learn both parallel to each other. The obtained results revealed that both the plastinated brain sections and the CT images portrayed a combination of many complex neuroanatomical structures that provide an excellent aid for researchers in educational and diagnostic purposes. In addition, the plastinated brain serves as a good tool for the interpretation of CT images.