TDK conference 2013

The exact position of the guttural pouch and its relation to the surrounding organs are hard to represent for a teacher and is very hard for a student to understand using books and two-dimensional images. While most institutes do possess some examples of prepared, mainly artificial specimens, they are usually not available to students due to their rarity and fragility. With this study, the aim of the authors was to create a complete and easy-to-access resource for the students that clearly and fully explains the topography of the guttural pouch.

To achieve this, we used different techniques to graphically represent the guttural pouch. We used CT images of a healthy horse to identify it, and based on this we manufactured a pressboard model to demonstrate the guttural pouch, independent from its surroundings. Using the same CT slices and additional CT images obtained from bones, we created 3D animations and models using 3D Slicer and 3DS Max software.

We dissected both left and right guttural pouches from the head of a fresh, refrigerated horse carcass through a lateral approach. Photographs of the process were taken at every step, on both sides of the head. After removal, the right guttural pouch was fixated in formalin and filled with Styrofoam granules.

We believe that the finalized atlas (which also includes a short summary of the most important clinically relevant pathology) will help students to understand the anatomy of this unique organ.