Case of the week 11/26/18
Publication Date: 2018-11-26
History
8 year old female spayed bichon. Cervical pain for the last 3 weeks. Initially controlled with pain meds and crate rest
3 images
Findings
Orthogonal radiographs of the thorax are available for interpretation.
The patient is intubated with the distal tip of the endotracheal tube at the level of the first thoracic vertebra. A radiopaque collar is present around the neck.
There is a complete fracture of the base of the spinous process of T10 with a well-defined frayed margination. There is a fracture of the ventral aspect of the caudal endplate of T10. The resultant ovoid fragment (0.3cm x 0.2cm in size) has well-defined rounded margins and is mildly ventrally displaced.
The pulmonary parenchyma, cardiovascular, and remaining intrathoracic structures are normal. The included cranial abdominal structures are normal. There is an incidental supranumerary identification microchip within the dorsal subcutaneous tissues.
Additional radiograph
On the collimated lateral view of the thoracolumbar spine, there are suspect small curvilinear fissures extending caudodorsally from the fracture margin. The vertebral canal is normally aligned at the level of the T10 and T11 vertebrae.
Diagnosis
T10 caudal endplate chip fracture, with suspected fissure fractures and complete transverse spinous process fracture. No evidence of callous formation.
Normal thorax with no evidence of pulmonary metastasis.
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