RAPID COMMUNICATION: Development of X-ray computed tomography for live standing cattle

An X-ray computed tomography (CT) system for live standing cattle was developed for studying the meat yield, carcass composition and so on. The gantry contained three X-ray tubes and detectors that corresponded to each X-ray tube. The system was able to operate while the animal remained standing. The scan area had a diameter of 900 mm. The Musculus longissimus and Musculus trapezius areas, and the back fat thickness in the CT image were evaluated and compared to the actual cross-section of the carcass using eight cattle. The differences among the muscles, and the subcutaneous and intermuscular fat were easily recognized. The correlation coefficient between the CT image and the actual carcass photograph of the M. longissimus area and the back fat thickness was high (r = 0.84, r = 0.93, P < 0.01). The present study demonstrated that muscle, fat and bone can be clearly imaged from a live standing animal using X-ray equipment.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]