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Topic:Diagnosis
Diagnosis in horses involves the systematic identification of diseases and conditions affecting equine health. This process relies on a combination of clinical evaluations, laboratory tests, imaging techniques, and other diagnostic tools to assess the health status of horses. Veterinarians utilize these methods to identify symptoms, determine the underlying causes of health issues, and formulate appropriate treatment plans. Diagnostic procedures in equine medicine can include blood tests, ultrasound, radiography, endoscopy, and more specialized tests such as genetic screening or advanced imaging modalities like MRI and CT scans. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various diagnostic techniques, their applications, and advancements in the field of equine veterinary medicine.
Comparison of radiography, scintigraphy and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of a case of temporomandibular joint arthropathy in a horse. Diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disease in the horse presents a challenge to the equine veterinarian. This case report illustrates a combined imaging approach using radiography, scintigraphy and ultrasonography in a horse with severe arthropathy of the left temporomandibular joint. Radiographs were inconclusive. Scintigraphy with Tc99m methylenediphosphonate localised, but failed to characterise the disease process; ultrasonography was the only imaging method which both localised and characterised the lesion. Ultrasonography proved to be a relatively cheap, technically easy to perform and...
Comparison of peripheral and core temperatures in anesthetized horses. To examine temporal patterns of rectal, nasal, groin, and skin temperatures measured in adult horses undergoing general anesthesia and to determine accuracy and precision of temperatures at these sites, compared with core temperature. Methods: 5 healthy adult horses. Methods: Induction, maintenance of, and recovery from general anesthesia were performed in an air-conditioned surgical suite. Room temperature and relative humidity were approximately 21 C and 40%, respectively. Anesthesia was maintained for 2.5 hours, and body temperatures were measured and recorded every 5 minutes. Mean values w...
Disease-specific changes in equine ground reaction force data documented by use of principal component analysis. To assess the force plate as a diagnostic aid in equine locomotor abnormalities, particularly for abnormalities such as navicular disease that do not have specific diagnostic criteria. Methods: 17 Thoroughbreds without observable locomotor abnormalities (group A), 6 Thoroughbreds with superficial digital flexor tendon injury (group B), and 8 Thoroughbreds with navicular disease (group C). Methods: Using a force plate, ground reaction force patterns were recorded at the trot. Peak limb vertical force and force/time curve parameters were derived from 4 identifiable points at the beginning and en...
Equine nasal and paranasal sinus tumours. Part 1: review of the literature and tumour classification. The normal gross and histological anatomy of the equine nasal and paranasal sinuses are reviewed and the relationships between the local anatomy, the occurrence of different tumour types, and of tumour spread are examined. The histological classification of the more common equine sinonasal tumours and tumour-like lesions are discussed. Clinical and pathological descriptions of 50 more recently recorded such tumours are separately tabulated. The literature shows that equine sinonasal tumours, both endemic and sporadic, are relatively uncommon in horses, with non-neoplastic growths such as maxil...
Serologic testing of horses for granulocytic ehrlichiosis, using indirect fluorescent antibody staining and immunoblot analysis. To diagnose granulocytic ehrlichiosis in horses, compare results of indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining procedures with those of immunoblot analysis, and compare serologic test findings with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. Methods: 69 horses with high rectal temperatures (> or = 39 C) and lethargy, anorexia, or limb edema. Methods: 43 convalescent serum samples obtained from 38 horses 2 to 18 weeks after onset of illness were analyzed by use of immunoblot procedures and IFA staining methods, using the NCH-1 or BDS ehrlichial strains. Blood samples from 69 acutely ill horse...
[Radiologic examination of the spine in “back problems” of the standing horse]. The radiological examination of the thoracolumbar spine of a horse with a potential back problem is most important in order to come to a diagnosis and the imaging method of choice. The use of parallel grid-cassettes, appropriate films, rare earth screens and aluminium filters requires radiographic equipment with an output of 60-120 kV and 25-90 mAs. By use of this technique in the standing horse it is possible to obtain radiographs of the summits of the dorsal spinal processes of the thoracolumbar spine from the first thoracic (T1) to approximately the third of fourth lumbar vertebrae (L3/4). ...
Equine nasal and paranasal sinus tumours: part 2: a contribution of 28 case reports. The clinical and pathological findings of 28 cases (27 horses, 1 donkey) of equid sinonasal tumours examined at the Edinburgh Veterinary School are presented and include: seven cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); five adenocarcinomas; three undifferentiated carcinomas; two adenomas; five fibro-osseous and bone tumours; and single cases of ameloblastoma, fibroma, fibrosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, melanoma and lymphosarcoma. The median ages of animals affected with epithelial, and fibro-osseous/bone tumours were 14 and 4 years, respectively. Unilateral purulent or mucopurulent nasal di...
Structure of mare apolactoferrin: the N and C lobes are in the closed form. The structure of mare apolactoferrin (MALT) has been determined at 3. 8 A resolution by the molecular-replacement method, using the structure of mare diferric lactoferrin (MDLT) as the search model. The MDLT structure contains two iron-binding sites: one in the N-terminal lobe, lying between domains N1 and N2, and one in the C-terminal lobe between domains C1 and C2. Both lobes have a closed structure. MALT was crystallized using the microdialysis method with 10%(v/v) ethanol in 0.01 M Tris-HCl. The structure has been refined to a final R factor of 0.20 for all data to 3.8 A resolution. Compar...
Modulation of ACh release from airway cholinergic nerves in horses with recurrent airway obstruction. To evaluate the functional status of neuronal alpha2-adrenoceptors (ARs) and beta2-ARs on ACh release in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), we examined the effects of the physiological agonists epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE) and the beta2-agonists RR- and RR/SS-formoterol on ACh release from airway cholinergic nerves of horses with RAO. Because SS-formoterol, a distomer of the beta2-agonist, increases ACh release from airways of control horses only after the autoinhibitory muscarinic receptors are blocked by atropine, we also tested the hypothesis that if there is an M2...
Tapeworms as a cause of intestinal disease in horses. Until recently, the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata was difficult to diagnose and considered to be of questionable pathogenicity. Here, Chris Proudman and Sandy Trees describe recent advances in the immunodiagnosis of this parasite that have facilitated epidemiological studies. These studies suggest that A. perfoliata may be an important cause of intestinal disease in the horse and demonstrate a dose-response relationship between infection intensity and risk of disease. If tapeworm infection is a risk factor for ileocaecal colic, the identification and treatment of infected individual...
Thoracic and abdominal blastomycosis in a horse. A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined because of lethargy, fever, and weight loss of 1 month's duration. Thoracic auscultation revealed decreased lung sounds cranioventrally. Thoracic ultrasonography revealed bilateral anechoic areas with hyperechoic strands, consistent with pleural effusion and fibrin tags. A large amount of free fluid was evident during abdominal ultrasonography. Abnormalities included anemia, hyperproteinemia, hyperglobulinemia, hyperfibrinogenemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Thoracic radiography revealed alveolar infiltrates in the cranial and caudoventral lung fields. A ...
The neurology and enterology of equine grass sickness: a review of basic mechanisms. Autonomic dysfunction constitutes a prominent clinical feature of equine grass sickness (EGS). Significant injury to the nervous control of the alimentary system is life threatening, partly because of dysphagia but also because of the failure of the unique regulatory mechanisms in equine digestion involving water and electrolyte balance. The neuropathology also indicates the presence of a somatic polyneuropathy. The morphological features of EGS are similar to those of excitotoxic neuronal degeneration, which resembles neuronal apoptosis. It is difficult to ascertain from published accounts th...
Parietal hernia of the small intestine into the epiploic foramen of a horse. A 12-year old 573-kg (1,261-lb) Quarter Horse gelding was referred with colic of 12 hours' duration and with poor response to medical treatment. On the basis of physical and laboratory findings, a pelvic flexure impaction was suspected. The horse was treated medically. Because signs of mild abdominal pain persisted and the heart rate had increased, an exploratory celiotomy was performed 30 hours after signs of colic were first noticed. At surgery, the ileum was found partially entrapped within the epiploic foramen, in a left-to-right direction, to form a parietal hernia. The entrapped intestin...
Ablation of the nephrosplenic space for treatment of recurring left dorsal displacement of the large colon in a racehorse. Left dorsal displacement of the large colon was diagnosed in a 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Conservative treatment that included lunging after administration of phenylephrine and rolling while under general anesthesia was not successful. The displaced segment of colon was reduced surgically through a ventral midline incision, but displacement recurred 4 days after surgery. Ablation of the nephrosplenic space by suturing the nephrosplenic ligament to the splenic capsule was performed through the left flank. At followup 1 year after surgery, the horse had not had further signs of colic and h...
Mortality supposedly due to intoxication by pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Heliotropium indicum in a horse population in Costa Rica: a case report. This article describes a case of massive mortality among horses which was probably due to intoxication by pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Heliotropium indicum. Over 4 years more than 75% of a population of about 110 horses on a farm in Costa Rica died after showing nervous neurological symptoms. Two clinical manifestations were encountered, an acute and a chronic one, both with a fatal outcome. Pathological findings in 2 horses coincided with those reported in the literature for intoxication by pyrrolizidine alkaloids and were not specific for VEE. However Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) was...
[A Shetland pony with a squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach]. A 12-year-old Shetland pony was referred because of weight loss over several months and symptoms of colic. On rectal examination, enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes and an abnormal mass in the left anterior abdominal cavity were palpated. Haematological evaluation revealed leucocytosis (13 G.l-1) and an abnormal electrophoretic pattern (31.8% albumin, 18.8% alpha-globulins, 29.0% beta-globulins, 20.4% gamma-globulins). Peritoneal fluid collected by abdominal paracentesis did not contain neoplastic cells. Gastroscopy was performed and a mass, with areas of ulceration and necrosis, was visualized w...
[Hypothesis concerning the anatomical basis of cauda equina syndrome and transient nerve root irritation after spinal anesthesia]. Cauda equine syndrome is a rare neurological complication associated with subarachnoid anesthesia, and particularly with the use of 5% hyperbaric lidocaine and small gauge catheters. Our aim was to study a possible anatomical factor that might impede adequate dilution of local anesthetic and explain the development of cauda equine syndrome and transitory radicular irritation. Methods: The spinal dura matters and their contents from two male human cadavers were examined after organs had been extracted for transplantation. Both men had recently died at ages 56 and 65 years of age. Samples were f...
Borna disease virus infection in racing horses with behavioral and movement disorders. Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic agent with capacity to infect and cause neurological disease in a broad range of warmblooded hosts including horses, sheep, cattle, cats, and possibly also humans. The epidemiology of BDV is largely unknown. However, it is likely that subclinically infected animals may represent potential virus reservoirs. In two groups of Swedish racing horses, one clinically healthy and one consisting of horses with diffuse neurological signs, the BDV seroprevalence was 24.5% and 57.7%, respectively. BDV RNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 8 ou...
Ultrasound as an aid for diagnosis of ovarian abscesses in two mares. This report describes two mares presented for evaluation of anorexia, fever of unknown origin, and weight loss. Clinical examination, laboratory findings, and transrectal ultrasonographic images suggested ovarian abscessation. One mare was successfully treated medically. Because of financial considerations, the second mare was euthanatized and a postmortem examination was performed. At necropsy, there was an enlarged right ovary with an adhesion to the large colon. Microscopic findings were characteristic of an ovarian abscess.
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies on horses. No abstract available
The seroprevalence of equine trypanosomosis in the pantanal. Since little information is available on the epizootiological status of Trypanosoma evansi in South America and particularly Brazil, we evaluated equine serum samples collected in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997 for the presence of antibodies against this trypanosome species. Our study shows corroborative evidence about the correlation among high T. evansi seroprevalence and the rainy season in the Pantanal, Brazil. The higher seroprevalence was 79.2% in horses from a ranch located in the Nhecolândia sub-region in 1994 and the lower 5.8% in animals from the same ranch in 1997. No seroprevalence was...
Biochemical fingerprinting and ribotyping of isolates of Actinobacillus equuli from healthy and diseased horses. A total of 112 isolates of Actinobacillus equuli, including both clinical isolates and isolates from the oral cavity of healthy horses, were included in this study. All isolates were ribotyped and 92 of the isolates were also typed biochemically, with the commercially available Pheneplate (PhP) system, which includes 48 different substrates. As expected, ribotyping was more sensitive than biochemical fingerprinting in detecting differences between the isolates. The correlation between the two methods used was poor. It was not possible to distinguish clinical isolates from normal flora isolates...
Are Sarcocystis neurona and Sarcocystis falcatula synonymous? A horse infection challenge. Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating neurologic disease of the horse. The causative agent. Sarcocystis neurona, has been suggested to be synonymous with Sarcocystis falcatula, implying a role for birds as intermediate hosts. To test this hypothesis, opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were fed muscles containing S. falcatula sarcocysts from naturally infected brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Ten horses were tested extensively to ensure no previous exposure to S. neurona and were quarantined for 14 days, and then 5 of the horses were each administered 10(6) S. falcatula...
Multiple DNA markers differentiate Sarcocystis neurona and Sarcocystis falcatula. Studies designed to investigate the causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and its life cycle have been hampered by the marked similarity of Sarcocystis neurona to other Sarcocystis spp. present in the same definitive host. Random-amplified polymorphic DNA techniques were used to amplify DNA from isolates of S. neurona and Sarcocystis falcatula. DNA sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products was then used to design PCR primers to amplify specific Sarcocystis spp. DNA products. The ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer was also amplified and compared betwee...
Back problems. Neuroanatomy and neurological examination. Components of the equine nervous system are described including classical anatomy and newer sensory innervation maps that are useful for localizing lesions to and within the nervous system. The key components in a neurological examination that help differentiate primary neurologic disease from musculoskeletal disorders are explained. Gait deficits associated with neurologic dysfunction are listed as well as diagnostic aids and an overview of differential diagnoses.
Back problems. Radiology and scintigraphy. Radiology and, more recently, scintigraphy are important ancillary diagnostic aids in the diagnosis of a horse with suspected back pain. Although the image quality is restricted by the size of the patient, radiographs have been used for several decades. With the introduction of modern fast-screen film systems, the quality of the images has greatly improved. These imaging techniques allow assessment of the anatomy and physiology of structures in the spine that are difficult or impossible to palpate. This article reviews the techniques and limitations of imaging the equine back, in addition to c...
Osseous spinal pathology. Pathologic changes have been observed at the spinous processes, intervertebral articulations, and sacroiliac joints in horses. Varying severity of degenerative articular changes are found in many articular processes, intertransverse, lumbosacral, and sacroiliac joints. Pathologic lesions tend to affect multiple vertebral locations within a specimen. Further studies need to be conducted to evaluate the clinical significance of the numerous vertebral and pelvic pathologic findings found in a sample of Thoroughbred racehorses that died because of unrelated injuries. Increased knowledge of osseous...
