CT findings in 20 dogs and six cats with confirmed nasal foreign bodies

The diagnosis and treatment of nasal foreign bodies usually includes a combination of rhinoscopy and imaging techniques, such as CT. The purpose of this retrospective, multicenter study was to describe the CT characteristics of nasal foreign bodies in dogs and cats and to determine if different nasal CT features exist between acute and chronic cases. Twenty dogs and six cats met the inclusion criteria. Eleven nasal foreign bodies (42%) were detected confidently with CT. The foreign body had a linear shape in 81% of cases and displayed a "tubular-like appearance" in 54% of cases. In five cases (19%), a foreign body was suspected but not clearly visible. Additional CT changes were present in the nasal passages in 96% of the cases. The presence of turbinate destruction (P = .021) and mucosal thickening (P = .014) on CT were associated with the presence of a chronic nasal foreign body. In this sample, the nature of the foreign body did not influence its visibility and was not associated with specific CT characteristics. Computed tomography may be useful in the investigation of nasal foreign bodies, however, a negative CT examination does not exclude their presence.