Noninvasive procedures in horses refer to diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that do not require incision into the body or removal of tissue. These procedures are designed to minimize discomfort and risk to the animal while providing valuable information for veterinary care. Common noninvasive methods include ultrasonography, thermography, and endoscopy, which allow for the examination of internal structures without surgery. Additionally, techniques such as laser therapy and extracorporeal shock wave therapy are employed for treatment purposes. These procedures are beneficial for assessing and managing a variety of conditions, including musculoskeletal disorders and soft tissue injuries. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application, effectiveness, and advancements of noninvasive procedures in equine medicine.
Tischner M, Bielański A.Observations were made on 14 mares which were non-surgically flushed on one or more occasions for recovery of embryos on Days 7-9 after ovulation. Flushing alone shortened the oestrous cycle by about 2.7 days but increased the number of mares failing to ovulate. Flushing followed by an injection of a prostaglandin analogue shortened the cycle by about 4.5 days and hence increased the frequency of ovulations. From a total of 70 flushings performed, 27 embryos were recovered and of 12 mares inseminated during the first oestrus after embryo collection, 6 conceived and foaled. The other 7 mares we...
Gay CC, McCarthy M, Reynolds WT, Carter J.A method using the Doppler ultrasound principle for indirect determination of arterial blood pressure in the horse is described. The method is simple and suitable for field situations. Validation studies show that systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements bear a close relationship to true values obtained by direct measurement.
Parkes RD, Colles CM.Fetal electrocardiography (FECG) in the mare has been investigated by several workers (Holmes and Darke 1968, Kanagawa and others 1967). This short paper seeks to evaluate previous work, present new findings, and provide a practical technique enabling veterinary surgeons to diagnose singleton and twin pregnancies in the latter part of pregnancy.
Bowen JM, Gaboury C, Bousquet D.A case of uterine torsion is described and its correction under general anaesthesia by a method described by Schaffer for the cow. The degree of torsion was 180 degrees and in a clockwise direction. After correction the foal was found to be alive and in anterior presentation and ventral position; it was born normally 84 days later.
Allen WR, Rowson LE.Surgical and non-surgical methods used for the recovery and transfer of fertilized horse eggs are described. Sixteen of the twenty-three zygotes recovered surgically between Days 1 to 6 after ovulation from thirty donor mares were transferred surgically to synchronized recipients; seven pregnancies resulted. Seven of the eleven zygotes recovered non-surgically between Days 6 to 8 after ovulation from twenty-eight donor mares were transferred non-surgically to synchronized recipients; five pregnancies resulted.
Shaw SD, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Blodgett GP, Syndergaard M, Hurych D.Real-time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods for detecting Rhodococcus equi in feces have been developed as a noninvasive, rapid diagnostic test for R. equi pneumonia, but have not been evaluated in a large population of foals. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of fecal PCR as a diagnostic test for R. equi pneumonia in foals using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods. Methods: 186 foals born in 2011 at an R. equi-endemic ranch in Texas. Methods: Fecal samples were collected at the time of onset of clinical signs for pneumonic foals (n = 3...
Carstanjen B.Effective, non-invasive bone assessment methods for screening, diagnosis and follow-up of the skeleton are more and more requested in veterinary medicine. In contrast to clinical parameters, invasive methods and imaging techniques, indices of bone turnover is a tool for bone metabolism evaluation of the whole skeleton. Biochemical bone markers therefore provide a more real-time assessment of the bone status with simple blood- or urine-analysis. This article surveys currently available biochemical marker of bone metabolism used in veterinary medicine. Additionally, information is provided about...
McGorum BC, Milne AJ, Tremaine WH, Sturgeon BP, McLaren M, Khan F.A combined laser Doppler flowmetry and iontophoresis (LDFI) technique, used routinely to assess human microvascular function, was evaluated as a noninvasive technique for assessment of equine microvascular function, to facilitate the study of diseases such as laminitis. Baseline and vasoactive agonist-induced (acetylcholine and nitroprusside) microvascular flux was quantified at 2 sites (on the dorsal pastern adjacent to the coronary band and over the gluteals) in 6 clinically normal horses on 5 or 6 separate occasions under standardised conditions. Both agonists significantly increased microv...
Woodie JB, Ducharme NG, Hackett RP, Erb HN, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV.Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) is a common condition in racehorses for which various surgical treatments are often performed. In light of recent findings that suggested the position of the larynx may influence the occurrence of DDSP, we investigated whether a noninvasive mean of affecting the position of the larynx could be effective in the management of DDSP. Objective: An external device (laryngohyoid support; LHS) positioning the larynx in a more rostral and dorsal location and preventing caudal displacement of the basihyoid bone would be effective in preventing DDSP during s...
de Linde Henriksen M, Brooks DE.Standing ophthalmic surgery without general anesthesia allows for several routine ophthalmic procedures including eyelid lacerations and enucleations to be performed in the horse, but does contain increased risk of causing tissue damage arising from the inability to eliminate eye and head movements. Heavy sedation and local nerve blocks of the involved motor and sensory nerves are essential in achieving a good outcome from ophthalmic surgery in the nonanesthetized horse. The inability to use an operating microscope in standing surgery in horses prevents performing precise corneal and intraocul...
Hall LW, Young SS.Total respiratory resistance was measured rapidly and non-invasively in 6 conscious ponies before and after they inhaled approximately 25% of the minimal anaesthetic concentration (0.25 MAC) of either enflurane, halothane, or isoflurane, over a 10 min period. The forced random noise (FRN) method was used to measure the impedance over the frequency range of 5 to 40 Hz and its real part, the resistance, was extracted from these impedance measurements. At the concentrations used, halothane appeared to have no effect on the total respiratory resistance; enflurane and isoflurane seemed to increase ...
Renaudin CD, Gillis CL, Tarantal AF.Gender determination of the equine fetus using transabdominal ultrasonography was studied in 20 mares. One group of 10 research mares was scanned repeatedly every 2 weeks from 100 days gestation to parturition, while the second group of 10 client mares was subjected to echography once during mid-gestation. In males, the penis and/or prepuce was observed on 71 occasions from 102 days to 258 days gestation. On cross-sectional views, the male external genitalia had a round shape with parallel linear echogenic foci up to approximately 140 days gestation and then appeared triangular. Fetal testes w...
White DA, Hildebrand SV, Jones JH, Fung DL, Gronert GA.On the basis of results in dogs, conditioning exercise may increase sensitivity to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. Five Thoroughbreds were exercised/conditioned 3 times weekly on a treadmill for 8 months. Increasing maximal rate of O2 consumption verified that the horses were responding to exercise conditioning. Six nonexercised Thoroughbreds served as the control group. Studies were done with horses under general anesthesia by use of halothane during partial paralysis by a brief constant-rate infusion with the muscle relaxant, metocurine iodide. Quantification of degree of paralysis of the ...
Journée SL, de Ruijter-Villani M, Hendriks WK, Stout TA.Transvaginal ultrasound-guided pregnancy reduction (TUGR) is a procedure described for the management of twins post-fixation in the horse. Success rates are often disappointing but are reported to be more favorable for bilaterally situated twins and when intervention takes place before day 35 of gestation. This study aimed to determine whether stabbing the embryo/fetus rather than aspirating conceptus fluids improved the likelihood of success, measured as the birth of a normal live singleton foal. Data from 103 TUGR interventions were analyzed by logistic regression analysis; method of treatme...
Gamucci F, Pallante M, Molle S, Merlo E, Bertuglia A.Superficial skeletal muscle activation is associated with an electric activity. Bidimensional High-Density Surface Electromyography (HD-sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that uses a grid of equally spaced electrodes applied on the skin surface to detect and portray superficial skeletal muscle activation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of HD-sEMG to detect electrical activation of skeletal muscle and its application during rehabilitation exercises in horses. To fulfil this aim, activation of the superficial descending pectoral and external abdominal oblique core muscles w...
Matsumoto T, Okumura S, Hirata S.This study aimed to apply radar technology to a large quadruped animal. We first developed a non-contact respiration measurement system using millimeter-wave array radar for a horse in standing position. Specifically, we measured the respiration of a stationary domestic horse in stables. Simultaneously, we measured the respiration rate using infrared thermography and developed a method for analyzing the radar information while verifying the rate of agreement. Our results suggested that the radar technology detected breathing and accurately measured the respiration of a horse, despite variation...
Pownder SL, Caserto BG, Bowker RM, Lin B, Potter HG, Koff MF.Few noninvasive methods are available for equine hoof wall evaluation. The highly organised wall structures and composition of proteoglycans and collagens may make this region amenable to quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques of T1ρ and T2 mapping to identify pathology related to proteoglycan content and collagen organisation respectively. Objective: To establish normative T1ρ and T2 values of the equine hoof wall of 3-year-old Quarter Horses with histological comparison. Methods: Cadaveric anatomical study. Methods: Six cadaveric left thoracic feet from 3-year-old racing Quarter Horses with no...
Mc Brearty A, Auckburally A, Pollock PJ, Penderis J.Deafness has been reported in horses due to a variety of causes and objective auditory assessment has been performed with brainstem auditory evoked potential testing. Evoked otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests are widely used in human patients for hearing screening, detecting partial hearing loss (including frequency-specific hearing loss) and monitoring cochlear outer hair cell function over time. OAE tests are noninvasive, quick and affordable. Two types of OAE are commonly used clinically: transient evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) and distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs). Detection of OAEs has not been repor...
Piketh G, Williams A, Schliewert EC.Electrocardiography is the method used to monitor the electrical impulses in the heart. These diagnostics are increasingly making use of smartphone-based technologies. The objective of this research was to determine whether the Alivecor KardiaMobile (ECG) smartphone-modulated electrocardiographic device, a novel ECG device, can be used to obtain reliable electrocardiogram (ECG) readings in horses. The device was initially tested in 36 Nooitgedacht pony mares to determine the best site of application, method of skin preparation, and ECG device orientation for reliable ECG tracings. Once the mos...
