Zucca Paolo, Di Guardo Giovanni, Pozzi-Mucelli Roberto, Scaravelli Dino, Francese Marco
Laboratory of Animal Cognition and Comparative Neurosciences, Department of Psychology, University of Trieste, Via S. Anastasio, 12-34100 Trieste, Italy.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2004 Sep;35(3):391-4. doi: 10.1638/02-098.
A mature male Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) stranded along the coasts of Friuli Venezia Giulia, northeast Italy, in May 2001. Parasitic infection with Crassicauda grampicola is often found in the tympanic bullae and pterygoid sinuses in many of the Risso's dolphins examined from the same area. For this reason, it was decided to perform computed tomography of the head to assess this imaging technique for the diagnosis of crassicaudosis in dolphins. A full postmortem examination confirmed the pathologic findings of the computed tomography scan. This technique can be considered a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of cranial crassicaudosis in live dolphins.
