Determination of Breed-Specific Differences in Intracranial Volume in Awassi and Kangal Sheep Using Stereology and Computerized Tomography Methods

The main objective of the study was to observe the intracranial volume differences between Kangal and Awassi sheep using computerized tomography and Cavalieri principle and to observe the compatibility of the methods used. The intracranial volumes of the craniums of six adult Kangal sheep and six adult Awassi sheep used in the study were calculated using models taken from computerized tomography sections and the Cavalieri principle performed on the models and compared. The findings show that there are significant intracranial differences and high correlation between both sexes. In addition, it has been observed that computed tomography and volume calculations performed with the Cavalieri principle are compatible. The study shows that computed tomography and Cavalieri principle methods are effective tools in morphometric analysis and provide new information about the morphological characteristics of different animal breeds. The results show that these methods can be used as mutually supportive alternatives in future studies and can contribute to the morphological analysis of animal species.