Clinical use of 3D computed tomography in diagnosis and therapy of tail necrosis in a ball python

The main musculoskeletal diseases in reptiles diagnosed through computed tomography (CT) are vertebral malformations and disorders. This diagnostic imaging technique is crucial for the outcome and prognosis of applied treatment. The presented clinical case describes the diagnosis, surgical treatment and antibacterial therapy of traumatic tail necrosis in a ball python (Python regius), referred to the Small Animal Clinic of the University Veterinary Hospital, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. Osteolytic and osteosclerotic changes in coccygeal vertebrae were visualised by radiography and computed tomography. The surgical treatment comprised amputation, whose performance depended on three-dimensional CT reconstruction.