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Summary: The equine head is a complex structure prone to traumatic injuries. To determine the value and limitations of radiography and (CT) for the diagnosis of skull fracture, the differences between the two modalities were described. Two observers retrospectively reviewed the radiographic and CT images of 18 horses with a skull fracture. To allow direct comparison between the two modalities, a simplified fracture classification system was used. In 3/18 cases the evaluation of the radiographic examination concluded no injuries visible. In 2/15 cases soft tissue involvement was not detected and in 7/15 cases the extension of the fracture was underestimated with radiography. Radiography classified 4/10 multiple fractures incorrectly as single fracture and 5/15 comminuted fractures on CT were diagnosed as simple fracture with radiography. The number of fragments was underestimated with radiography in 14/15 cases. In conclusion, radiography is able to diagnose a skull fracture in most cases. Skull fractures however are not similarly classified after radiographic and CT evaluation, which causes a difference in interpretation and perception of the fractures. Therefore, CT should be the modality of choice for surgical planning and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cystic lesions are not very common in the horse. When occurring in the equine skull, they are mainly located in the paranasal sinuses, but occasionally lesions in the maxillary bone and mandible have been reported. The expansive character of these cystic lesions necessitates surgical treatment. The conventional surgical treatment of cystic lesions usually involves drainage, surgical excision and curettage of the cystic wall and all abnormal tissue. This case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of maxillary bone cysts in two cases. Due to the anatomical location of the bone cysts in the presented cases, excision and extensive curettage would have caused considerable collateral damage to important structures. For this reason, the surgical treatment was performed minimally invasively, including intralesional injection with 10% formalin solution, after which the lesions were flushed with saline solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]