VERTEBRO-MEDULLARY TOPOGRAPHY IN WHITE-TUFTED-EAR-MARMOSET (Callithrix jacchus, LINNAEUS 1758)

Abstract

Due to the importance of spinal cord morphological studies, their applicability in clinical veterinary during cerebrospinal fluid punction, location of nervous injuries in spinal levels, and epidural anesthesia, this study aimed at analyzing and describing the spinal cord and vertebral-medullary topography in the primate Callithrix jacchus (common marmoset). Ten adult specimens, 5 females and 5 males, with 170g-300g were used. The animals came from a wildlife breeding center and died of natural causes. After fixation in 10% formaldehyde solution, the animals were incised at the dorsal midline, from foramen magnum to the tail base, with removal of epaxial muscles and vertebral arches to expose the spinal cord. Total length measurements from the spinal cord, medullary cone and cervical and lumbar intumescences were performed, as well as skeletopie of all structures. Based on the analyzed material and the technique apllied we concluded that the spine of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) presents standard morphometric and morphological characteristic, and through the medullary cone morphological description, between L2-L5, we suggest that epidural anesthesia in this species should be performed at lumbosacral region.

KEYWORDS: Callithrix jacchus; nervous system; spinal cord; veterinary anatomy.