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Topic:Ultrasound
Ultrasound in horses is a diagnostic imaging technique that utilizes high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the horse's internal structures. It is commonly used in veterinary medicine to evaluate soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, and organs. This non-invasive method allows for real-time visualization of physiological and pathological conditions, aiding in the diagnosis and management of various equine health issues. Ultrasound is particularly valuable for assessing musculoskeletal injuries, reproductive health, and abdominal conditions in horses. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application, methodology, and advancements in ultrasound technology within equine veterinary practice.
Ultrasonography of the medial palmar intercarpal ligament in the Thoroughbred: technique and normal appearance. Tearing of the medial palmar intercarpal ligament (MPICL) has been recognised as a cause of lameness in the Thoroughbred, but diagnosis is difficult due to the nonspecific clinical signs, and can be achieved only by performing arthroscopy on the mid carpal joint (MCJ). It would be beneficial to be able to image the MPICL using ultrasonography to determine whether pathology is present in the ligament in order to aid diagnosis and prognosis. Objective: To determine whether the MPICL could be imaged using ultrasound from the dorsal aspect of the MCJ, and to describe the technique and normal ultra...
Effects of a new injectable short-term release deslorelin in foal-heat mares. Mares treated with subcutaneous deslorelin implants on the first postpartum estrus early in the breeding season had significant reductions in the number of large follicles at early pregnancy examinations and delayed return to estrus (in mares that failed to become pregnant); these adverse effects were attributed to a prolonged release of the drug from the implant. In 2003, an injectable short-term release ( or = 34 mm diameter on Tuesdays or Thursdays were alternately assigned to: Treatment 1, n = 17; 1.5 mg injectable short-term release deslorelin, or Treatment 2, n = 16; Control (no treatmen...
Ultrasound-guided biopsy as a diagnostic aid in three horses with a cranial mediastinal lymphosarcoma. An ultrasound examination of the thorax of three horses which were performing poorly or had mild signs of colic showed that they had a cranial mediastinal mass and a pleural effusion. A cytological examination of the pleural fluid showed that it did not contain neoplastic cells. A histological examination of an ultrasound-guided core biopsy of the cranial mediastinal mass showed that in each of the three horses it was a lymphosarcoma.
Technique for equine cervical articular process joint injection. Degenerative changes and osteochondrosis of articular processes are common sources of stiffness or pain in the equine cervical spine. Temporary relief of the clinical signs related to these maladies may be achieved by injecting corticosteroids into the joint. This is routinely done by ultrasound-guided needle placement. The cervical articular processes and joint form an easily identifiable sonographic landmark, a step-like echogenic surface described as having the appearance of a "chair."
Accuracy of increased large-intestine wall thickness during ultrasonography for diagnosing large-colon torsion in 42 horses. Large-colon torsion is a common cause of colic in horses and has a worse prognosis and higher cost than other causes of surgical colic of the large colon. During large-colon torsion, the colon wall becomes thick due to vascular occlusion. Therefore, we hypothesized that detecting increased colon wall thickness during ultrasonography would be an accurate preoperative test for large-colon torsion. The sample population consisted of 42 horses that were admitted for surgical treatment of colic localized to the large colon. The diagnosis was confirmed at surgery or necropsy examination. Twelve (29%...
Treatment of chronic or recurrent proximal suspensory desmitis using radial pressure wave therapy in the horse. Proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD) is diagnosed with increasing frequency in horses and radial pressure wave therapy (RPWT) is a widely used therapy for painful orthopaedic conditions in man and dogs. There are, however, few published data as to the outcome of its use in PSD. Objective: To evaluate the use of RPWT in the treatment of chronic or recurrent PSD in the horse, an injury which carries a poor prognosis for return to athletic function with conservative management alone. Objective: RPWT and controlled exercise improves the prognosis of chronic or recurrent PSD in the horse when compare...
Follicle profile and plasma gonadotropin concentration in pubertal female ponies. Twelve female ponies were examined daily for 30 days and classified as ovulating (OV; N = 6; 197 +/- 6 kg) or prepubertal (PP; N = 6; 196 +/- 9 kg). Follicles were detected by ultrasound and gonadotropins quantified by radioimmunoassay. The mean diameter of the largest follicles was significantly larger in OV (38 +/- 1 mm) than in PP (26 +/- 2 mm) but there was no difference between groups in the size of the second largest follicle. There were more small follicles (29 mm than the OV fillies. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels did not differ between groups but PP fillies had lower lutein...
Gracilis muscle injury as a cause of lameness in two horses. Injury to the gracilis muscle can cause acute, severe lameness in horses. Two female Quarter Horses that were used for barrel racing sustained gracilis muscle tear injuries. The site of injury was localized by direct infiltration of the area with mepivacaine. The extent of muscle tearing and seroma formation was determined via ultrasonographic evaluation. One horse developed fibrotic myopathy approximately 3 months after the original injury and underwent surgery to transect a palpable fibrous band at the previous injury site. Both horses returned to barrel racing 5 to 6 months after the injury...
The effects of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy on the ultrasonographic and histologic appearance of collagenase-induced equine forelimb suspensory ligament desmitis. Extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) may stimulate healing of desmitis in multiple species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ultrasonographic and histologic appearance of collagenase-induced suspensory ligament (SUL) desmitis in untreated ligaments and ligaments treated with ESWT in horses. Four mature horses had SUL desmitis induced in both forelimbs. Beginning 3 weeks after induction of the lesions, one ligament per horse was treated 3 times at 3-week intervals with ESWT. The percent lesion, echogenicity and fiber alignment scores of the SULs were evaluated at 3-week inter...
Aberrant blood flow area and plasma gonadotropin concentrations during the development of dominant-sized transitional anovulatory follicles in mares. Color Doppler transrectal ultrasound was used to evaluate blood flow area in the wall of dominant anovulatory follicles versus ovulatory follicles in mares during the transition between anovulatory and ovulatory seasons. Daily examinations were done in 11 control mares toward the end of the anovulatory season. In 13 separate mares, follicular fluid was collected from 30-mm follicles, and blood flow areas from control mares were used as a basis for designating the sampled follicle as either anovulatory or ovulatory. Blood flow area in the controls ranged from 0.18 to 0.35 cm(2) in six mares on ...
Diagnostic contribution of thoracic ultrasonography in 17 foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the clinical usefulness of thoracic ultrasonography compared to thoracic radiography in evaluation of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. Criteria for patient inclusion in this study were: (1) isolation of R. equi from transtracheal aspirate, (2) radiographic evaluation of the pulmonary parenchyma, and (3) sonographic evaluation of the pulmonary parenchyma. Seventeen foals met this criteria and their medical records were reviewed. Pyogranulomatous pneumonia was identified radiographically in 13 foals. Severe consolidative pneumonia with no detectabl...
Thyroid function and pregnancy status in broodmares. To determine whether thyroid function was associated with pregnancy status in broodmares. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 79 Thoroughbred and Standardbred broodmares between 2 and 22 years old. Methods: Serum triiodothyronine (T3) concentration was measured before and 2 hours after i.v. administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), and serum thyroxine (T4) concentration was measured before and 4 hours after TRH administration. Pregnancy status was monitored by means of transrectal ultrasonography beginning 16 days after ovulation. Results: Baseline T3 and T4 concentrations varied...
Differential blood flow changes between the future dominant and subordinate follicles precede diameter changes during follicle selection in mares. Diameter deviation during a follicular wave is characterized by the continued growth of the developing dominant follicle and reduced growth and regression of the subordinate follicles. This study considered the hypothesis that reduced blood flow in the future largest subordinate follicle precedes the beginning of diameter deviation. The hypothesis was tested by quantifying the daily changes in blood-flow velocities and blood-flow area within the wall of follicles before and during diameter deviation in mares (n = 7). The blood-flow end points were quantified daily by transrectal color Doppler ...
Reproductive performance of thoroughbred mares in sweden. During 1997-2001, a total of 430 Thoroughbred mares were mated by one of the two Thoroughbred stallions on a well-managed stud farm in the central part of Sweden. On arrival, a thorough gynaecological examination of all mares was performed. An early pregnancy examination was performed on days 14 and 15 after ovulation. The overall conception rates for the two stallions were 92.2 and 88.8%, and the corresponding live foal rates were 82.6 and 75.2%, respectively. The mean number of served oestrous cycles was 1.60 per mare per conception and 1.86 per live foal. The first and second cycle concepti...
Exophthalmia associated with paranasal sinus osteoma in a Quarterhorse mare. An 11-year-old Quarterhorse mare developed a paranasal sinus osteoma that extended into the right orbit and led to ipsilateral exophthalmia. Although the tumor was radiographically evident in the paranasal sinuses, ultrasonography was used to demonstrate extension of the tumor into the retrobulbar space, and endoscopy was used to identify its extension into the nasopharynx. Biopsies were obtained using both fine-needle aspiration and paranasal sinus trephination. Despite numerous antemortem diagnostic tests, only postmortem histologic analysis of the mass afforded the diagnosis of osteoma.
Ultrasonic characteristics of preovulatory follicle and ovulation in Caspian mares. The Caspian breed of horses is believed to be the direct descendant of the earliest equine animals. Some special characteristics of Caspian horse differentiate this breed of horses from other breeds. In the current study the ultrasonically observed characteristics of a preovulatory dominant follicle and the lengths of estrus, diestrus as well as some related parameters were studied during 42 interovulatory intervals in 11 healthy Caspian mares. The preovulatory dominant follicle deviated from subordinate follicles and became the largest follicle in the ovaries at Day -8.7 +/- 0.53 (Day 0=ovula...
Sonographic diagnosis of a presumed ureteral tear in a horse. A 14-year-old thoroughbred gelding was presented for the evaluation of acute abdominal pain. Rectally, there was a soft fluctuant painful swelling dorsal to the bladder and to the right of the midline. The creatinine concentration of the peritoneal fluid was 15 mg/dl. Transrectal ultrasonographic examination of the urinary tract revealed a large collection of fluid dissecting from the pelvic portion of the right ureter ventrally through the right side of the bladder wall and into the retroperitoneal space, and a thickened right ureter and bladder wall at the level of the trigone. Cystoscopical...
Diagnostic ultrasonography of equine lens and posterior segment abnormalities. To define the indications for equine ocular ultrasonography and to provide representative ultrasonographic images of lens and posterior segment diseases. Methods: Retrospective study. Equine medical records dating from January 1983 to March 2001 were reviewed. All cases that: (1) had a lens and/or posterior segment abnormality; and (2) received a complete ophthalmic examination and ocular ultrasonography were included. Results: Forty-three cases (n = 64 eyes) out of 112 total cases of equine lens and/or posterior segment abnormalities qualified. The following conditions were identified ultraso...
Effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on elasticity and microstructure of equine cortical bone. To measure changes in the modulus of elasticity (E) and describe histologic findings after extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on equine cortical bone specimens. Methods: 16 bone specimens from the proximodorsal cortex of an equine third metacarpal or metatarsal bone. Methods: Baseline E was determined by the density (p) and unidirectional ultrasound transmission velocity (C) of each specimen according to the equation E = pC2. Eight specimens were treated with 500 pulses of 0.15 mJ/mm2 of extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and 8 specimens were treated with 500 pu...
Treatment of suckling beef cattle with a progestagen sponge and oestradiol benzoate or equine chorionic gonadotrophin. The ovarian responses of anoestrus beef cows to a combined treatment with medroxy-progesterone acetate (MAP) sponges and oestradiol benzoate or equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) were evaluated. Forty-five suckling Hereford cows were allocated to three equal groups. Group 1 received a MAP sponge for seven days plus an injection of 2 mg oestradiol benzoate when the sponge was inserted (day 0) and 1 mg when the sponge was withdrawn; group 2 received identical treatment until day 7, when a dose of 400 iu of eCG was administered, and group 3 were left untreated as control animals. From day 0 to ...
Color Doppler ultrasound evaluation of testicular blood flow in stallions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the potential use of color Doppler ultrasound to characterize blood flow to the stallion testis, and to establish reference values for Doppler measures of blood flow in the testicular artery of the stallion. Both testes from each of 52 horses were examined using a pulsed-wave color Doppler ultrasound with a sector array 5/7.5 MHz transducer with a 1mm gate setting. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) of the testicular artery were measured in each of two locations, the convolut...
Exostoses of the caudal perimeter of the radial physis as a cause of carpal synovial sheath tenosynovitis and lameness in horses: 10 cases (1999-2003). To determine the clinical, radiographic, ultrasonographic, and arthroscopic findings associated with tenosynovitis of the carpal synovial sheath induced by exostoses that originate from the caudal surface of the physeal scar of the distal radius and determine the results of surgical removal of those exostoses in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 10 horses. Methods: Medical records of horses with effusion in the carpal synovial sheath and lameness evaluated from 1999 to 2003 were examined. Results: All horses had a history of intermittent mild to moderate effusion of the carpal syn...
Scintigraphy of the sacroiliac joint region in asymptomatic riding horses: scintigraphic appearance and evaluation of method. The sacroiliac region in 33 clinically normal riding horses was examined with scintigraphy to determine the normal scintigraphic appearance, to evaluate a semiquantitative method used to calculate a sacroiliac joint (SI joint) ratio, and to identify factors that affect the scintigraphic appearance of the pelvis. The scintigraphic examination included dorsal views of each SI joint region and one lateral view of the urinary bladder. Two predefined areas (the SI joint and the area between the tuber sacrale and the SI joint) were evaluated subjectively by comparing the intensity in each area to th...
Effect of trabecular orientation on mechanical resistance and ultrasound propagation in specimens of equine vertebrae. Osteoporosis involves alterations, not only in density, but also in the architectural organisation of the bone; in particular, trabecular orientation, following the skeletal load directions, lends a high degree of stiffness to the whole bone. We investigated the relationship between trabecular orientation, density, stiffness and ultrasound (US) propagation in two orthogonal directions (par. = parallel to, and ort. = orthogonal to the main orientation of the trabeculae) in cylindrical equine bone specimens (thoracic vertebrae) where a preferential orientation is present. A total of 15 cylinders...
On the ultrasonic properties of tendon. The strong dependence of tendon echogenicity on insonation angle is explored by analyzing echo spectra. Combining echo spectra with high-resolution images from several modalities reveals that fluid spaces surrounding fascicles and bundles are likely sources of ultrasonic scatter. Mathematical models of tendon structure are proposed to explain how the anisotropic microstructure of tendon gives rise to angle-dependent echogenicity. Echo spectra from spontaneously damaged equine tendon samples were compared with normal equine tendon and found to exhibit a dramatic decrease in anisotropic properti...
Use of high-resolution ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in veterinary ophthalmology. The recent development of a 20-MHz, high-frequency ultrasound probe has allowed tissue to be visualized at resolutions of 20 to 80 microm, which is similar to a low-power histologic view. This high degree of resolution, however, limits tissue penetration to 5 to 10 mm, which is ideal for examination of the anterior segment of the eye. The detail provided by high-resolution ultrasound readily permits the clinician to distinguish between various anterior segment entities that may appear similar but are treated quite differently, such as anterior uveal tumors, iridociliary cysts, and iris bombé....
Transrectal Doppler sonography of uterine and umbilical blood flow during pregnancy in mares. Transrectal color Doppler sonography was used to investigate uterine and umbilical blood flow during pregnancy (duration, 46-48 weeks) in four mares. The resistance index (RI) and blood flow volume (VOL) of the uterine arteries ipsilateral and contralateral to the conceptus, and the presence of an early diastolic notch in the Doppler wave, were evaluated every 4 week throughout pregnancy. Fetal blood flow was calculated semiquantitatively every 2 week (from 20 to 40 weeks), using the RI of the umbilical arteries. During the entire period of investigation, there were no significant individual v...
Dose-response study of intrafollicular injection of insulin-like growth factor-I on follicular fluid factors and follicle dominance in mares. The effect of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the concentrations of follicular fluid factors during follicle deviation and the development of dominance was studied in mares in two experiments. Transvaginal ultrasound guidance was used for intrafollicular injection and subsequent sequential sampling of follicular fluid. Treatment involved a single injection of IGF-I into the second-largest follicle (F2) at the expected beginning of deviation (Hour 0) based on diameter (> or =20 mm) of the largest follicle (F1). Mares in IGF-I groups were given a dose of 500 microg (experiment 1) or 2...
Accuracy of ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection of cervical facet joints in horses: a cadaveric study. Intra-articular facet joint injection is an established diagnostic procedure in human medicine but there are no reports on its reliability in equine practice. Objective: To investigate the accuracy of ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of the cervical facet joints and to estimate factors influencing the accuracy. Methods: Sixty injections with blue dye were performed on the facet joints between 2nd and 7th cervical vertebra (C2-C7) on horses subjected to euthanasia for nonorthopaedic reasons. The facet joints were subsequently dissected to verify accuracy of deposition. Results: Seve...
