Case 31 – Life’s A Beach

Epistaxis is an important clinical sign to understand when working with performance horses that go “all out” in their discipline. Radiographs are not usually the first diagnostic tool we reach for if epistaxis is the presenting complaint. However, because of the relatively non-invasive nature of radiology and the ubiquitous presence of portable radiographic equipment in the ambulatory truck, radiographs, a radiographic study may be included in an epistaxis workup. Depending on the size of the patient, we are limited in what we can do diagnostically with radiographs so it is important to use anatomic landmarks to help you determine what you are looking at. When writing your report, be sure to pay special attention to opacity and location for this case. Another thing to consider while interpreting the films included in this case is to decide whether your radiographic findings help explain the patient’s presenting complaint/problem?