Abstract:
A two-year-old Thoroughbred colt was presented to the Equine Clinic, Onderstepoort
Veterinary Academic Hospital for head trauma after rearing and falling backwards, hitting
his head on the ground. Following medical therapy for acute onset neurological impairment
secondary to a suspected basilar skull fracture, the horse was anaesthetised and computed
tomography of the skull was performed. A diagnosis of a comminuted basilar skull fracture
was made and skull radiographs were taken for comparison. The horse was subsequently
euthanased owing to the poor prognosis; necropsy findings were compatible with imaging
findings. The value and limitation of computed tomography versus radiography for the
diagnosis of basilar skull fracture are discussed in this report.
Description:
C.K.L. (University of Pretoria) is the primary author and was
responsible for interpretation of the CT and radiographic
images as well as writing of the manuscript and final
proofreading. M.N.S. (University of Pretoria) and A.V.
(University of Pretoria) were the primary clinicians for this
case and provided intellectual input to the manuscript.
A.C. (University of Pretoria) assisted in the radiographic
interpretation, provided valuable input to the manuscript
and assisted in the final proofreading of the manuscript.
