Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pneumocephalus due to temporohyoid osteoarthropathy in a 16-year-old Friesian mare.
- Journal:
- Journal of equine veterinary science
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Witt, P et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · Netherlands
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 16-year-old Friesian mare was taken to the university clinic because she had stopped eating, lost weight, had a fever, was experiencing nasal discharge from both nostrils, had facial paralysis on one side, and had a corneal (eye) lesion that wouldn’t heal. Doctors found that a bone in her neck was thickened and imaging showed that she had air in her skull due to a serious condition called temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO), which had caused a fracture in her temporal bone. Despite medical treatment, she did not get better, and her owner chose not to pursue surgery, leading to her being euthanized because her outlook was very poor. A post-mortem exam confirmed the diagnosis, and this case is notable because it is the first time air in the skull due to a temporal bone fracture has been reported in a horse with THO.
Abstract
A sixteen-year-old Friesian mare was admitted to the university clinic with the following clinical signs: anorexia, weight loss, fever, bilateral nasal discharge, unilateral facial paralysis and a non-healing corneal lesion. Endoscopic examination of the upper airways showed thickening of the proximal portion of the right stylohyoid bone. Computed tomography imaging showed pneumocephalus due to grade 3 unilateral temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO) with fracture of the petrous temporal bone. The horse did not improve following medical treatment. Surgical intervention was declined by the owner and the horse was euthanized due to poor prognosis. Post-mortem examination confirmed the clinical diagnosis. The prevalence of temporal bone fractures is high in horses with severe THO. However, fracture extension into the cranial vault and pneumocephalus has not been described. This is the first reported case of pneumocephalus due to a fracture of the petrous temporal bone in a horse with THO.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39490452/