Computed Tomographic Findings in Injured Free-Living Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)

Abstract Free-living turtles and tortoises commonly present to veterinary facilities for trauma. The superimposition of shell structures and lack of diffuse adipose tissue limits plain radiographic assessment of tissue damage; computed tomography (CT) is more sensitive in detecting these lesions. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively document common CT lesions associated with trauma. This retrospective study evaluated medical records and CT findings of 131 wild gopher tortoises ( Gopherus polyphemus ) with trauma that presented to the Zoological Medicine Service, University of Florida, from 2015 to 2020. The most common injury was carapacial fractures, which were detected in 115 tortoises (88%), followed by coelomic involvement ( n = 88, 67%), soft tissue intra-coelomic non-pulmonary lesions ( n = 76, 58%), plastron fractures ( n = 67, 51%), extra-coelomic soft tissue lesions ( n = 61, 47%), pulmonary lesions ( n = 59, 45%), appendicular fractures ( n = 56, 43%), vertebral lesions ( n = 38, 29%), and skull fractures ( n = 8, 6%). CT is helpful for effectively evaluating and managing mild to moderate trauma in gopher tortoises because it allows the identification of significant internal injuries that can affect release to the wild if untreated. In this retrospective study, it was essential for assessing spinal traumas, as well as identifying lung collapse and pectoral and pelvic fractures.