Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal with head tilt from brain abscess caused by Rhodococcus equi
By Janicek, John C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2006·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Intracranial abscess caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in a foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old Missouri Fox Trotter colt was brought in for a head tilt that had lasted for 5 weeks after being treated for a lung infection caused by Rhodococcus equi. Imaging showed damage to the bones in his skull and a mass pressing on his brain. The vet performed surgery to remove the damaged bone and the mass, which helped improve the colt's neurological symptoms within just 3 days. Tests confirmed the presence of the same bacteria that caused his earlier lung infection.
People also search for: foal head tilt treatment · Rhodococcus equi infection in horses · horse brain surgery recovery
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 4-month-old Missouri Fox Trotter colt was examined for a 5-week history of head tilt after treatment for suspected pulmonary Rhodococcus equi infection. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Computed tomography revealed osteolysis of the occipital, temporal, and caudal portion of the parietal bones of the left side of the cranium. A soft tissue mass compressing the occipital region of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum was associated with the osteolytic bone. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: A rostrotentorial-suboccipital craniectomy approach was performed to remove fragmented occipital bone, debulk the intracranial mass, and obtain tissue samples for histologic examination and bacterial culture. All neurologic deficits improved substantially within 3 days after surgery. Bacterial culture of the resected soft tissue and bone fragments yielded R equi. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Intracranial surgery in veterinary medicine has been limited to dogs and cats; however, in select cases, extrapolation of surgical techniques used in humans and small animals can assist with intracranial procedures in horses.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16426201/