Agreement between Sagittal Plane Cross Sectional Anatomy, Sonoanatomy and Computed Tomography of Rabbit Prostate and Bulbourethral Glands

The purpose of the study was to present some anatomy imaging characteristics of prostate gland and bulbourethral glands of domestic rabbits and to evaluate the consistency of information for depicting the normal morphological topography of studied organs. Ten clinically healthy, sexually mature male New Zealand White rabbits at the age of 8 months, weighing 2.8–3.2 kg were examined by ultrasonography. The prostatic complex was investigated by transabdominal prepubic approach and bulbourethral glands – by perineal approach. Six rabbits were submitted to computed tomography (CT) study in dorsal recumbency. The CT images of prostate and bulbourethral glands were obtained by sagittal scans of the pelvis from the promontory to the caudal rim of pubic symphysis. In five animals, frozen sagittal cross sections through the pelvis were obtained after euthanasia and were compared to sagittal diagnostic anatomy images. The sagittal ultrasonographic image of rabbit prostatic complex was observed as homogeneous, massive, oval finding with a relatively high echogenicity whereas bulbourethral glands were visualized as a relatively hyperechoic solid homogeneous oval finding. The CT image of rabbit prostate was visualized at the level of the second sacral vertebra and dorsally to the anterior symphyseal rim whereas the bulbourethral glands were observed at the level of the second coccygeal vertebra dorsally to the posterior symphyseal rim.