{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:24:38Z","timestamp":1760059478420,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,14]],"date-time":"2025-06-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749859200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to perform ultrasonography of the tympanic bulla in healthy, non-sedated camelids for the first time. In the first step, dissection and sonography in cadaver specimens allowed the essential identification of the anatomical structures of the region of interest. Ultrasonography of the tympanic bulla was then performed on 71 healthy llamas and alpacas, and the length of the visible lateral bulla wall was measured sonographically. The reproducibility of measuring was determined between two examiners. Differences in length and the influences of gender, age, and body condition scores were monitored. A 10 MHz linear probe was positioned in the rostrocaudal and dorsoventral directions caudal to the mandibular ramus and ventral to the base of the ear using a lateral approach. The equipment used proved to be appropriate to visualize the tympanic bulla, the zygomatic bone, the paracondylar process, the external ear canal, and the parotid gland in the cadaver specimens and all live animals. Llamas revealed a significantly longer visible lateral bulla wall than alpacas, but its length was not influenced by gender, body condition score, or age. In alpacas, older females showed a significantly shorter tympanic bulla wall. The intra- and inter-observer reliability yielded a significant agreement. Based on this study\u2019s results, ultrasonography may serve as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting osseous and soft-tissue changes in camelids with otitis media.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15121762","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,16]],"date-time":"2025-06-16T04:06:24Z","timestamp":1750046784000},"page":"1762","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ultrasonography of the Tympanic Bulla in Llamas and Alpacas: Techniques and Physiological Findings"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Rainer","family":"Giebl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, Centre for Ruminant and Camelid Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johann","family":"Maierl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary Faculty, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chair of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Veterin\u00e4rstrasse 13, 80539 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8668-3858","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexander","family":"Tichy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Centre of Biological Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4699-1001","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cassandra","family":"Eibl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, Centre for Ruminant and Camelid Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0948-4764","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnes","family":"Dadak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Centre of Biological Sciences, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sonja","family":"Franz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, Centre for Ruminant and Camelid Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Cebra, C.K., Anderson, D., Tibary, A., VanSaun, R., and Johnson Larue, W. 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