Disease of the conchal bullae should be considered as a potential cause of chronic unilateral nasal discharge in horses. Clearance of empyema within these bullae is unlikely to occur through lavage of the paranasal sinuses alone. Where necessary, fenestration of the bulla allows physical removal of infected material.
Summary
A 9‐year‐old Welsh Section D gelding was referred to an equine hospital for evaluation and computed tomographic (CT) imaging of a left mandibular swelling. An expansile mass, found within the left mandible at the level of the caudal 2 cheek teeth, was surgically debulked and histology of the lesion identified it as an ameloblastic carcinoma. Radiotherapy using 4 fractions of 800 cGy, 7 days apart, was subsequently undertaken. The pony made excellent clinical progression following treatment. Repeat CT imaging at 7.5 and 19.5 months post surgery showed no apparent recurrence of the lesion and marked improvement in the remodelling of the mandible. In conclusion, radiotherapy in conjunction with surgical debulking appears to have been successful in treating an ameloblastic carcinoma in this pony and could be considered for similar tumours in other cases.
This case series describes two cases of a head injury resulting in a traumatic neuropathy of the infraorbital nerve and the mental nerve, respectively. Both cases presented with head-shaking behaviour and assumed facial dysaesthesia. This is a cause of head-shaking not previously described in horses. One horse (Case 1) had a small wound at the level of the infraorbital foramen and was diagnosed with a bony fragment adjacent to the infraorbital nerve using computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography. Treatment consisted of surgical removal of the fragment, systemic anti-inflammatories and multimodal analgesia. The second case (Case 2) was diagnosed with a nondisplaced comminuted fracture of the right hemi-mandible using CT. The fracture line, along with multiple small fragments, was overlying the mental nerve as the nerve exits the mental foramen. The horse was treated with multimodal analgesia, and the fracture healed without requiring stabilisation. Clinical signs took several months to resolve in both cases. There were no reported signs of dysaesthesia or head-shaking 6 months (Case 1) and 4 months (Case 2) following diagnosis. Long-term follow-up is still required to assess these horses. Traumatic neuropathy should be considered as a differential diagnosis in horses presenting with headshaking behaviour.
ObjectiveTo describe a novel surgical technique for correcting postoperative ventral glottic stenosis (cicatrix or web formation) and the outcome in 2 Thoroughbred racehorses.Study DesignRetrospective case report.AnimalsThoroughbreds diagnosed with ventral glottic stenosis (n=2).MethodsHorses presenting with iatrogenic ventral glottic stenosis and resultant exercise intolerance and abnormal exercise‐related noise were anesthetized and a midline sagittal skin incision was made over the ventral larynx and between the sternohyoideus muscles overlying the cricothyroid notch. The cricothyroid ligament, attached laryngeal cicatrix, and overlying mucosa were sagittally sectioned at the dorsal aspect of the cicatrix on the left side. The laryngeal mucosa, cicatrix, and underlying cricothyroid ligament immediately rostral and caudal to the cicatrix were sectioned in a medial (axial) direction as far as the right side of the cricothyroid notch. After resection of the majority of the attached cicatrix tissue, the residual mucosal flap (attached to the right side of the larynx) was reflected ventrally and sutured to the attachment of the cricothyroid ligament on the right side of the cricothyroid notch, creating an intact mucosal layer on the right side of the ventral larynx.ResultsBoth horses had good intralaryngeal wound healing with minimal redevelopment of ventral glottic stenosis at 5 and 9 months postoperatively and were successfully returned to racing with complete absence of abnormal respiratory noise.ConclusionThe unique laryngeal anatomy of horses, with a cartilage‐free ventral laryngeal area (cricothyroid notch), allowed the use of this novel surgical technique to successfully treat ventral glottic stenosis.
Summary
Three horses that were presented for computed tomography (CT) examination of the head and cranial cervical spine in which marked mineralisation of the longitudinal odontoid ligament of the dens was identified on CT examination are described. There are currently no reports of mineralisation of the longitudinal odontoid ligament in horses in the literature. Although the significance of this finding to the presenting clinical problems in the cases described remains speculative, an association between mineralisation of the longitudinal odontoid ligament and compatible clinical signs merits further investigation. The purpose of this case report is to describe three cases with mineralisation of the longitudinal odontoid ligament as identified on CT examination.
A 12-year-old Clydesdale cross mare was referred for investigation of right periocular vascular distension. Physical examination and ultrasonography confirmed the presence of a varicosity of the veins of the lower eyelid and transverse facial vein. The size of the varicose vein led to concerns about the potential progression in size of the lower eyelid to obstruct vision. Percutaneous encircling sutures were ineffective at occluding the vessel and surgical excision of the abnormal vein was performed. This treatment approach proved effective and 7 months post operatively the swelling has not recurred. This case demonstrates that varicosities can be successfully surgically resected in horses if there is a clinical indication.
Summary
A 4‐month‐old colt foal was admitted to the hospital with a history of acute stranguria and colic signs. On presentation, he was tachycardic, tachypnoeic and pyrexic. Blood work showed marked leucocytosis and severe azotaemia. Ultrasound examination of the abdomen revealed a reduced bladder lumen and a large volume of free peritoneal fluid. Abdominocentesis confirmed uroperitoneum. The foal underwent a general anaesthetic to repair the bladder. Unfortunately, the following day, the uroperitoneum recurred, so a revision surgery was performed. The bladder wall was repaired and a large impaction of the terminal small colon and rectum was diagnosed at this point. Rectal examination post‐operatively revealed a spherical mass compressing the dorsal aspect of the rectum, which reduced its diameter by approximately 75%. Ultrasound examination, cytology and culture of a fine‐needle aspirate of the mass revealed it to be a perirectal abscess, and this was drained per rectum and lavaged several times. The foal recovered well, regained the ability to micturate and remained healthy at subsequent post‐operative checks. It is suspected that the perirectal abscess led to overdistention and subsequent rupture of the bladder.
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