Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Three cases of osteoma and an osseous fibroma of the paranasal sinuses of horses in South Africa.
- Journal:
- Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- Cilliers, I et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Four horses were taken to a veterinary hospital in South Africa because they had uneven faces and issues with nasal discharge or breathing through their noses. X-rays showed that two of the horses had well-defined, mineralized lumps in their maxillary sinuses, while the other two had lumps that were less mineralized. The veterinarians performed surgery to investigate these lumps further, and they found that three of the horses had a type of tumor called an osteoma, while the fourth had an ossifying fibroma, another type of bone growth. Unfortunately, two of the horses were put to sleep right after surgery because their condition was very serious. Overall, the findings highlight that while some bone tumors can be treated, not all can be removed surgically, and the prognosis can be poor.
Abstract
Four horses were presented to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital with histories of facial asymmetry, nasal discharge or obstruction of normal nasal passage airflow. Radiographic examination of the maxillary sinuses of 2 cases revealed well circumscribed, unilateral, mineralised masses; the other 2 cases showed less mineralisation. The masses were accessed for further investigation by surgically created frontonasal bone flaps or trephination of the maxillary sinuses. Diagnosis of osteoma was confirmed histopathologically in 3 of the cases and of ossifying fibroma in the 4th. Two horses were euthanased directly after surgical intervention due to poor prognosis. Osteomas are by nature expansile tumours and follow the complex communication of the sinuses, and therefore are not all amenable to surgical removal. Osseous fibromas are large, solitary, expansile lesions that are rare in all species but reported most frequently in horses. They have an apparent predilection for the rostral mandible of the horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19496319/