The Virtual Pig Head

Materials and Methods

     This study has involved the use of five pig heads in the completion of the project.  Three of these samples have been obtained from Pleasant Meats distributor in Athens, Ohio and Pine Ridge Processing in Belpre, Ohio. They are farm-raised pigs that were slaughtered for use as meat products. These three specimens have been used for physical dissection in the Witmer lab. Two of the specimens were Hanford minipigs that were donated to the project. A single specimen (OUVC 10461) was euthanized via approved protocols to get an accurate view of its vasculature. One of the specimens was scanned at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital (OBMH), Athens, Ohio. One farm-raised specimen was partially dissected and scanned at the Ohio University micro-CT scanner (OUµCT).

     The majority of this project has used CT imaging with OBMH’s GE Light Speed Ultra scanner at eight slices per rotation. Each slice had a thickness of 1 mm, and each pixel measured 0.86x0.86 mm. The digital output of these scans was received in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. The enhanced TMJ data were obtained via OUµCT’s GE eXplore Locus in vivo Small Animal μCT Scanner, with dual CPU operator console and eight-CPU reconstruction cluster located on the Ohio University campus. Each pixel measured 0.092x0.092mm, and each slice had a thickness of 0.092mm.  

     The DICOM data will were analyzed using Amira 3.1.1: Advanced Visualization, Data Analysis, and Geometry Reconstruction (TGS Template Graphics Software, Inc., San Diego) on a desktop workstation (Dell Pentium 3.2 GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM).  Amira was used not only for analysis and visualization but also for transferring the information into a variety of other file formats that can be modified using other programs, such as CorelDraw V12.0 and QuickTime V7.

     The human data sets were donated by a benefactor who will remain nameless. These DICOM data contain the TMJ and entirety of the middle ear, the areas of interest for this study.  The data were obtained by the same CT scanner as the pig data at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital. 

     The anatomical structures labeled in the digital data represented on this site were confirmed via dissection of no fewer than three specimens. For confirmation of structures both primary literature (e.g., Herring & Scapino, 1973) and veterinary texts (e.g., Schaller, 1992) were utilized. All anatomical terminology derives from the Nomina Anatomica Veternaria (1994).