Ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis of an oropharyngeal wood penetrating injury in a dog

A 5 yr old female intact English setter with a 17 day history of a penetrating oropharyngeal wound was referred for cervical swelling and pain. Physical examination revealed swelling at the left lateral aspect of the cranial cervical region. Pain was elicited upon flexion, extension, and leftward movement of the neck. Neurologic deficits were not identified. Cervical ultrasonography showed a 0.4 cm × 2.3 cm linear, hyperechoic structure in the soft tissues ventrolateral to the first (C1) and second (C2) cervical vertebrae. MRI demonstrated a linear structure 2 cm in length adjacent to the cranial aspect of C2. The foreign material was isointense to hyperintense on precontrast T1-weighted images, isointense on postcontrast T1-weighted images, and hypointense on T2-weighted images relative to adjacent muscle. Abnormalities within the spinal canal were not identified. Upon surgical exploration, a reed foreign body was identified deep to the serratus ventralis muscle. The patient was normal on follow-up evaluations 4 wk postsurgically.