title: Osteomyelitis of the atlanto-occipital region as a sequela to a pharyngeal stick injury.
abstract: An eight-year-old female Belgian shepherd dog was referred for investigation of chronic neck pain. The dog had sustained a pharyngeal injury 12 weeks previously while catching a stick. Radiographs of the cervical spine revealed signs consistent with a septic arthritis of the atlanto-occipital joint and osteomyelitis of both occipital condyles and the atlas. A foreign body was identified ultrasonographically in the retropharyngeal soft tissues, and a stick was surgically removed from a site ventral to the right side of the atlanto-occipital joint. The signs of neck pain started to resolve within a week of surgery.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Small Animals, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Midlothian.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001269:Atlanto-Occipital Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000662:veterinary*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000293:injuries; D011859:Radiography; D014934:Wood