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Comminuted basilar skull fracture in a colt: Use of computed tomography to aid the diagnosis
Author(s) -
Beccati F.,
Angeli G.,
Secco I.,
Contini A.,
Gialletti R.,
Pepe M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
equine veterinary education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.304
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 2042-3292
pISSN - 0957-7734
DOI - 10.1111/j.2042-3292.2010.00158.x
Subject(s) - medicine , skull , radiography , computed tomography , skull fracture , radiology , soft tissue , head trauma , surgery
Summary The case of a one‐year‐old colt with acute onset of neurological dysfunction and epistaxis after a traumatic event is presented. After initiating emergency treatment, the colt was anaesthetised for diagnostic imaging. Radiographic examination of the head was suggestive of soft tissue opacity in the area of the guttural pouches, but was inconclusive about osseous involvement. A computed tomography (CT) scan, used to obtain further details, showed a comminuted basilar skull fracture with 2 displaced fragments that were not detected by radiography. Because of the poor prognosis for survival and return to athletic function, the horse was subjected to euthanasia. CT imaging provided the most useful diagnostic information about type, localisation, extension and severity of the basilar skull fracture.