Open AccessTraumatic skull fractures in dogs and cats: A comparative analysis of neurological and computed tomographic features
Author(s) -
AmengualBatle Pablo,
JoséLópez Roberto,
Durand Alexane,
Czopowicz Michal,
Beltran Elsa,
Guevar Julien,
Lazzerini Kali,
De Decker Steven,
Muñana Karen,
Early Peter,
Mariani Christopher,
Olby Natasha,
Petrovitch Nicholas,
GutierrezQuintana Rodrigo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.15838
Subject(s) - medicine , cats , cranial vault , skull , skull fracture , computed tomographic , retrospective cohort study , odds ratio , confidence interval , surgery , computed tomography
Background Traumatic skull fractures (TSF) are relatively frequent in dogs and cats, but little information is available regarding their clinical and imaging features. Hypothesis/Objectives To describe the neurological and computed tomographic (CT) features of a large cohort of dogs and cats with TSF. Animals Ninety‐one dogs and 95 cats with TSF identified on CT. Methods Multicenter retrospective comparative study. Signalment, cause of trauma, fracture locations and characteristics, presence of neurological deficits, and 1‐week survival were recorded. Fractures were classified according to the extent of fragmentation and displacement. Results The cranial vault was affected more frequently in dogs ( P = .003), whereas the face and base of the cranium more often was affected in cats ( P < .001). Cats presented with multiple fractures more frequently ( P < .001). All animals with TSF in the cranial vault were more likely to develop neurological signs ( P = .02), especially when depressed fractures were present (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7‐8.2; P = .001). Animals with TSF located only in the facial region were less likely to have neurological signs (odds ratio with Mantel‐Haenszel's method [OR MH ], 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1‐0.6; P = .004). Most affected animals (84.9%) survived the first week post‐trauma. Death was more likely with fractures of the cranial vault ( P = .003), especially when fragmented ( P = .007) and displaced ( P = .004). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Traumatic skull fracture distribution and patterns are different between dogs and cats. Cranial vault fractures were associated with neurological deficits and worse survival. The presence of TSF alone should not be considered a negative prognostic factor because most affected animals survived the first week.