Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRI shows bone infection in a 5-month-old Boxer puppy's front leg
By Kakas, Rachel et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2020·From BluePearl Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: MRI Findings in a Young Boxer with Septic Physitis of the Humerus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-month-old male Boxer was brought in for lameness, and initial X-rays suggested a condition called septic physitis, which is an infection in the growth plate of the bone. To get a clearer picture, the veterinarian performed an MRI, which revealed a fluid pocket associated with the infection. A fine-needle aspirate, where a small sample of the fluid was taken, confirmed the diagnosis. This approach helped ensure the dog received the right treatment quickly, addressing the infection effectively.
People also search for: Boxer puppy lameness · septic physitis treatment · MRI for dog leg pain
Abstract
The MRI appearance of appendicular septic physitis has not been reported in small animals. MRI appearance of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis has been described in horses, and the use of MRI has been proposed as a diagnostic alternative to radiographs to allow for earlier diagnosis and treatment. MRI is also routinely used in human medicine for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis owing to increased accuracy of evaluation of the soft tissue involvement. In the case of a 5 mo old male boxer dog described here, radiographs were suggestive of the diagnosis of septic physitis, although an MRI was obtained to rule out neurologic etiologies of lameness based on history and physical exam findings. MRI identified a fluid pocket communicating with the physis. The diagnosis of septic physitis was then confirmed via ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirate of the fluid pocket communicating with the physis that was seen on the MRI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32182108/