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.
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.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.