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Topic:Diagnostic Technique
Diagnostic techniques in equine medicine encompass a range of procedures and tools used to identify diseases, injuries, or other health conditions in horses. These techniques include imaging methods such as radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as laboratory tests like blood work and tissue biopsies. Each diagnostic method provides specific information that can aid in the assessment and management of equine health issues. Radiography is commonly used for evaluating bone structures, while ultrasonography is useful for soft tissue examination. MRI offers detailed images of both soft and hard tissues, though its use is limited by cost and availability. Laboratory tests can detect biochemical and hematological changes indicative of disease. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the development, application, and efficacy of various diagnostic techniques in equine veterinary practice.
Headshaking in horses: possible aetiopathogenesis suggested by the results of diagnostic tests and several treatment regimes used in 20 cases. Twenty mature horses with typical headshaking of 2 week-7 year duration were studied. Clinical examinations included radiography of the head and nasopharyngeal endoscopy. All were assessed at rest and at exercise, both before and after fitting an occlusive nasal mask, application of tinted contact lenses and the perineural anaesthesia of the infraorbital and posterior ethmoidal branches of the trigeminal nerve. Infraorbital anaesthesia had no effect in 6/7 cases but 11/17 (65%) cases showed a 90-100% improvement following posterior ethmoidal nerve anaesthesia. Tinted contact lenses had no appa...
Repeatability of Doppler ultrasound measurements of hindlimb blood flow in halothane anaesthetised horses. The purpose of this study was to determine the repeatability of femoral blood flow recorded using Doppler ultrasound in anaesthetised horses. Doppler ultrasound of the femoral artery and vein was performed in 6 horses anaesthetised with halothane and positioned in left lateral recumbency. Velocity spectra, recorded using low pulse repetition frequency, were used to calculate time-averaged mean velocity (TAV), velocity of component a (TaVa), velocity of component b (TaVb), volumetric flow, early diastolic deceleration slope (EDDS) and pulsatility index (PI). Within-patient variability was deter...
An in vitro study to compare 5 different techniques for injection of the navicular bursa in the horse. Numerous different techniques for injection of the navicular bursa have been described but there is little conformity between these descriptions. A literature review was performed and techniques for injection of the navicular bursa were categorised into 5 approaches. This study was performed to evaluate the reproducibility of each technique and to assess which technique was consistently most successful. Five inexperienced operators performed each technique on 5 cadaver forelimbs. Once a needle had been placed, a radiograph was taken to confirm placement was in accordance with the description o...
Cross-sectional study of faecal shedding of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum among packstock in the Sierra Nevada Range. Faecal specimens from 305 horses and mules used as packstock at one of 17 commercial or governmental (National Park Service, US Forest Service) operations were examined for Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum using immunofluorescent microscopy. Fourteen packstock (4.6%) were shedding G. duodenalis cysts, with herd-level prevalences ranging 0-22%. Number of packstock in the corral, size of corral and density of packstock in the corral were associated with the odds of shedding G. duodenalis cysts. None of the horses had detectable C. parvum oocysts. Assuming a sensitivity of at least 4...
Molten globule structure of equine beta-lactoglobulin probed by hydrogen exchange. The molten globule structure of equine beta-lactoglobulin has been inferred from the hydrogen exchange protection of the backbone amide protons. In order to make it possible to measure the hydrogen exchange kinetics of the individual backbone amide protons, the uniformly (15)N-labeled recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and the NMR peak assignment was obtained for most of the backbone protons. The chemical shift and NOE results obtained under the condition where the protein assumes the native structure are fully consistent with the known secondary structure of bovine beta-lac...
A curve-fitting technique for evaluating head movement to measure forelimb lameness in horses. Evaluation of the asymmetry of vertical head movement is used during kinematic evaluation of forelimb lameness in horses. For mild lameness, absolute translational measurements are not sensitive enough to detect small differences in the asymmetry of vertical head movement. Also, conscious movement of the head by the horse, not associated with lameness, interferes with accurate measurement. We describe an improved method of evaluating vertical head movement as a measure of lameness, using an model of induced lameness in 9 horses and a time-domain processing technique of curve-fitting. The techn...
[Ultrasound guided surgical reduction of twin pregnancies in the horse up to the 46th day of pregnancy]. Methods for elimination of one of two embryos in twin pregnancies of mares were studied. Transvaginal ultrasound guided punction of yolk sac or allantoic cavity with fluid aspiration was used. Punction was done in 8 mares, pregnant between 22 and 46 days. In six cases, pregnancy did continue normally with one embryo only while in two cases, both embryos died following the procedure.
Detection and quantitation of Ehrlichia risticii genomic DNA in infected horses and snails by real-time PCR. A real-time quantitative PCR using the TaqMan fluorogenic detection system (TaqMan PCR) was established for identification of Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever (PHF). The TaqMan PCR identified an 85 base pair section of the 16S rRNA gene by use of a specific fluorogenic probe and two primers. This technique was specific for eight tested E. risticii strains. The TaqMan system identified 10 copies of a cloned section of the 16S rRNA gene of E. risticii. The sensitivity and specificity of the TaqMan PCR were similar to those of conventional nested PCR. The TaqMan PCR was evalua...
Laparoscopic intra-abdominal ligation of the testicular artery following castration in a horse. A 364-kg (800-lb) 1-year-old mixed-breed horse was admitted for treatment of uncontrolled bleeding after castration. Multiple attempts to ligate the testicular artery through the scrotal incisions prior to referral had been unsuccessful. Because of the owner's concerns about cost, an attempt was made to control the bleeding by applying pressure to the inguinal region and administering formalin IV. However, hemorrhage continued. A decision was made to use laparoscopy to ligate the testicular artery. The horse was anesthetized and positioned in dorsal recumbency, and a routine ventral laparoscop...
Serum parathyroid hormone and calcitonin levels in racehorses with fracture. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) levels in fractured racehorses were measured by radioimmunoassay. Racehorses with fracture of large bone such as the radius, third metacarpus, third carpus, digital bone or tibia, showed normal PTH level and elevated CT level in the serum. Serum PTH level was slightly higher in racehorses with sesamoid bone fracture compared to that of healthy racehorses, but not statistically significant. Moreover, serum CT level of racehorses with sesamoid bone fracture was significantly higher than that of healthy racehorses. Racehorses with sesamoid bone ...
Ligature slippage during standing laparoscopic ovariectomy in a mare. Suture ligature failure is a potential complication during laparoscopic ovariectomy techniques utilizing ligatures as a means of hemostasis. This complication in the standing mare and the successful use of laparoscopic electrosurgical instrumentation as the sole means of providing hemostasis to the mesovarium of a mare are described.
Treatment of progressive ethmoidal haematoma using intralesional injections of formalin in three horses. Three Thoroughbred horses with unilateral progressive ethmoid haematomas were treated using intralesional injections of 10% formalin (4% formaldehyde solution). Injections were performed in the standing sedated horse through the nasal passages under endoscopic guidance and, when the ethmoid haematoma involved the paranasal sinuses, through holes trephined into the affected sinus. Regression of the lesions occurred in all cases after repeated injections. This technique appears to be a safe and effective treatment for progressive ethmoid haematomas in the horse.
Resection of the common digital extensor tendon in a gelding. A four-year-old gelding was lame owing to a chronic septic common digital extensor tendon and sheath. The horse had been treated by open surgical lavage but the sepsis had recurred after three months. Physical, ultrasonographic, cytological and histological examinations confirmed chronic septic tenosynovitis and tendonitis. The entire intrathecal component of the common digital extensor tendon was resected under general anaesthesia and the synovial lining of the sheath was ablated. Postoperatively the horse regained good limb function and became sound.
The predicted metal-binding region of the arterivirus helicase protein is involved in subgenomic mRNA synthesis, genome replication, and virion biogenesis. Equine arteritis virus (EAV), the prototype Arterivirus, is a positive-stranded RNA virus that expresses its replicase in the form of two large polyproteins of 1,727 and 3,175 amino acids. The functional replicase subunits (nonstructural proteins), which drive EAV genome replication and subgenomic mRNA transcription, are generated by extensive proteolytic processing. Subgenomic mRNA transcription involves an unusual discontinuous step and generates the mRNAs for structural protein expression. Previously, the phenotype of mutant EAV030F, which carries a single replicase point mutation (Ser-2429...
Identification and phylogenetic comparison of Salem virus, a novel paramyxovirus of horses. A virus that could not be identified as a previously known equine virus was isolated from the mononuclear cells of a horse. Electron microscopy revealed enveloped virions with nucleocapsid structures characteristic of viruses in the Paramyxoviridae family. The virus failed to hemabsorb chicken or guinea pig red blood cells and lacked neuraminidase activity. Two viral genes were isolated from a cDNA expression library. Multiple sequence alignments of one gene indicated an average identity of 45% as compared to Morbillivirus N protein sequences. A weaker relationship was found with Tupaia paramy...
Electrically elicited blink reflex in horses with trigeminal and facial nerve blocks. To reassess reference values for the components of the electrically induced blink reflex, document reference values for facial motor nerve conduction velocity, and demonstrate usefulness of the blink reflex as a diagnostic tool in peripheral facial and trigeminal nerve dysfunction in horses. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses (8 males, 2 females) without neurologic abnormalities. Methods: Blink reflex tests were performed by electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve and facial (auriculopalpebral) nerve. Reflex and direct muscle-evoked potentials of the orbicularis oculi muscles were recor...
Corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and optical corneal diameter in Rocky Mountain Horses with cornea globosa or clinically normal corneas. To compare corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and optical corneal diameter in Rocky Mountain Horses with cornea globosa and those with clinically normal corneas. Methods: 129 Rocky Mountain Horses. Methods: Ultrasonic pachymetry was used to measure corneal thickness. Applanation tonometry was used to measure intraocular pressure. A Jameson caliper was used to measure optical corneal diameter. Results: The central and temporal peripheral portions of the cornea were significantly thicker in horses with cornea globosa than in horses with clinically normal corneas, but corneal thicknesses in...
Comparison of three methods for estimation of exercise-related ion losses in sweat of horses. To quantify total fluid loss in sweat of Thoroughbreds during >3 hours of low-intensity exercise in controlled conditions and to calculate and compare estimated ion losses in sweat, according to 3 methods. Methods: 6 exercise-trained Thoroughbreds. Methods: Fluid and ion losses in sweat were measured in 6 horses exercising at 40% of the speed that elicited maximum oxygen consumption for 45 km. Horses were given a 15-minute rest period at the end of three 15-km exercise phases. Horses completed 2 exercise trials. Ion losses in sweat were calculated, using measurements of local sweating rate ...
Development of a fluorescence polarization-based diagnostic assay for equine infectious anemia virus. The control of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infections of horses has been over the past 20 years based primarily on the identification and elimination of seropositive horses, predominantly by a standardized agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay in centralized reference laboratories. This screening for EIAV-seropositive horses has been to date hindered by the lack of a rapid diagnostic format that can be easily employed in the field. We describe here the development of a rapid solution-phase assay for the presence of serum antibodies to EIAV based on fluorescence polarization (FP) (pat...
Differentiation and genomic and antigenic variation among fetal, respiratory, and neurological isolates from EHV1 and EHV4 infections in The Netherlands. Ten monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were produced against equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV1). Two appeared type-specific, while the other eight were directed against epitopes common to both EHV1 and EHV4. Two MAbs directed against the glycoprotein gp2 recognized linear epitopes, as demonstrated by Western blotting. With pools of type-specific MAbs, 282 field isolates were typed in an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA). From a total of 254 fetal or neonatal isolates, 244 (96%) were typed as EHV1, whereas 14 out of 15 (93%) respiratory tract isolates were typed as EHV4. Surprisingly, 3 out of 1...
Measuring sphere-like structures using transrectal ultrasonography. Sphere-like structures are commonly measured for clinical or research purposes. We measured two diameters, the circumference (perimeter) and cross sectional area of 113 equine ovarian follicles in a water bath then determined the relationships between those measurements and the actual volume of fluid in the follicles. Cross-sectional area, diameter3 and area2/3 were all highly correlated with the volume of the structures and superior (p 0.05) between cross-sectional area, diameter3, and area2/3. Because of the ease of measuring diameter, we suggest that diameter3 be used to estimate the actua...
Scintigraphic characterization of distal radial physeal closure in young Standardbred racehorses. A longitudinal scintigraphic and radiographic study of distal radial physeal activity in 14 Standardbred trotters was conducted to quantify and visually evaluate physeal uptake around the time of physeal closure. Initial intense 99mTc-HDP uptake was seen, followed by a rapid decrease of activity starting at a mean age of 20 months. Mean physeal to distal diaphyseal ROI and line profile ratios compared to ratios of mature horses decreased from 2.8 to 1.4 at the time of radiographic closure at 24-32 months. Ratios then gradually decreased until values of mature horses were reached at the end of ...
Use of radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of navicular syndrome in the horse. Radiographic evaluation of navicular syndrome is problematic because of its inconsistent correlation with clinical signs. Scintigraphy often yields false positive and false negative results and diagnostic ultrasound is of limited value. Therefore, we assessed the use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in a horse with clinical and radiographic signs of navicular syndrome. Cadaver specimens were examined with spiral computed tomographic and high-field magnetic resonance scanners and images were correlated with pathologic findings. Radiographic changes consisted of bony remodel...
Duplex-ultrasonographic evaluation of the common carotid artery in the resting, sedated and anesthetized horse. The aim of this study was to determine the blood flow in the carotid artery during halothane anaesthesia by means of duplex-sonography. Seventeen warm blood horses were evaluated in dorsal and lateral recumbency and the results were compared with the values of the same horses resting and under sedation. The cross sectional area of the vessels, the time-averaged maximal blood velocity, time-averaged maximal blood flow and the resistance index were determined and the flow profile was evaluated. During halothane anesthesia the total blood flow shows a significant increase which is not dependent o...
Simultaneous determination of hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, indomethacin, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in equine serum by high-performance liquid chromatography. Ethyl acetate extracts of equine serum, containing 0-5 microg/ml of hydrocortisone (HYD), dexamethasone (DEX), oxyphenbutazone (OPB), indomethacin (IND), phenylbutazone (PB) and probenecid as internal standard, were evaporated with nitrogen, resuspended in methanol and analyzed by HPLC, using a C-18 column equilibrated with 51:49 acetonitrile-water, 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, at 1 ml/min. The eluate was monitored at 254 nm. The selectivity (inter-assay C.V.<4%), sensitivity (limits of quantitation of 0.25 microg/ml for HYD, DEX and IND, 0.5 microg/ml for PB and 1 microg/ml for OPB, despite ...
Prokinetic effects of erythromycin on the ileum, cecum, and pelvic flexure of horses during the postoperative period. To evaluate the effect of erythromycin on motility of the ileum, cecum, and pelvic flexure of horses during the postoperative and post-recovery periods. Methods: 8 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and bipolar electrodes were implanted in smooth muscle of the ileum, cecum, and pelvic flexure. Approximately 4, 16, and 24 hours (postoperative recording sessions) and at least 8 days (post-recovery recording session) after surgery, myoelectric activity was recorded before and after administration of erythromycin (0.5 mg/kg). Results: Following erythromycin administration, myo...
Comparison of the performance of linear resistance and ultrasonic pneumotachometers at rest and during lobeline-induced hyperpnoea. The performance of a Fleisch No. 5 pneumotachometer (F), and two commercial ultrasonic pneumotachometers, the BRDL (B) and the Spiroson (S) systems were compared in respect to their use for determination of ventilatory parameters at rest and during lobeline-induced hyperpnoea. Five clinically healthy Thoroughbred horses were tested with the three pneumotachometers in random order. Respiratory airflow, respired gas concentrations, oesophageal pressures, pressures within the mask systems and arterial blood gases were determined before and during lobeline-induced hyperpnoea. Because measured peak...
Equine immunity to parasites. Helminths are among the most significant parasites of horses in developed countries. This article examines immune responses against helminth parasites and the implications that immunologic investigations have on vaccine development, improvement of diagnostic procedures, and disease eradication.
Immunodiagnostic testing in horses. Technologic advances in immunodiagnostic testing have enhanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of a broad array of diseases, including infectious diseases, immunodeficiency disorders, and immune-mediated disorders. If applied rationally, with an understanding of the questions the tests answer as well as the limitations that constrain their use, these tests can serve as valuable aids in the diagnosis and management of equine diseases.
Leukoproliferative disorders in horses. Leukoproliferative disorders reported in horses include lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, plasma cell myeloma, granulocytic leukemia, monocytic leukemia, myelomonocytic leukemia, and eosinophilic leukemia. Lymphoma affects horses of all ages, whereas leukemias often occur in younger horses. Clinical signs are often nonspecific including depression, anorexia, fever, and weight loss. Specialized diagnostic techniques such as cytochemistry and immunophenotyping better define the cellular origin of leukoproliferative disorders, which is essential for developing appropriate therapeutic protocols and ...
