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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Cervical articular process joint osteochondrosis in Warmbloo...
Equine veterinary journal2020; 52(5); 664-669; doi: 10.1111/evj.13245

Cervical articular process joint osteochondrosis in Warmblood foals.

Abstract: In Warmblood horses, degenerative joint disease is involved in cervical malformation and malarticulation (CVM). The degree of contribution of articular process joint (APJ) osteochondrosis (OC) is not clear. Objective: (a) To explore the presence of predilection sites for APJ OC in cervical and cranial thoracic vertebral columns of Warmblood foals and (b) to examine the correlation of such a site with the predilection site of CVM. Methods: Case series. Methods: Seven hundred APJ facets of C2 to T2 of 29 foals (11 months gestation to 12 months [median age 7 days; range 365 days; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2-47 days]) were examined for OC and prevalence between joints, and the predilection site for CVM and the cranial cervical vertebral column were evaluated. Results: About 20.6% of facets revealed OC. There was no predilection site. Prevalence decreased with age up to 1 year (odds ratio [OR] 0.997; (95% CI 0.975-0.998)) but not up to 5 months. Severity increased with age in all age ranges (up to 1 year OR 1.023; 95% CI 1.005-1.049; >1-5 months, OR 1.203; 95% CI 1.014e+00-1.921; up to 1 month, OR 1.114; 95% CI 1.041-1.228). Highest prevalence was in cranial facets of the cervical and cervical-thoracic joints and in caudal facets of the thoracic joint up to 1 year and up to 1 month (OR 0.364; 95% CI 0.170-0.745, OR 0.434; 95% CI: 0.235-0.782, OR 7.665; 95% CI: 1.615-66.553 and OR 0.400; 95% CI 0.170-0.880, OR 0.351; 95% CI 0.172-0.700, OR 5.317; 95% CI 1.098-44.344 respectively). Conclusions: Two-thirds of the foals were less than 1 month of age. Conclusions: Articular process joint OC in Warmblood foals is common and is not more prevalent at CVM predilection sites, suggesting that abnormalities of enchondral ossification may not be major contributors to CVM.
© 2020 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-21 PubMed ID: 32009243PubMed Central: PMC7496794DOI: 10.1111/evj.13245Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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The research investigates the connection between joint disease and cervical malformation in Warmblood horses. Specifically, it studies whether osteochondrosis, a joint disorder, contributes to the cervical vertebrae conditions.

Research Objective

  • The main goal of this study was to investigate the presence and favored locations of articular process joint osteochondrosis (APJ OC) in the cervical and cranial thoracic vertebral regions of Warmblood foals. This is important to determine whether these regions are more susceptible to APJ OC.
  • The second objective was to determine how these favored locations for APJ OC correlate with the common sites for cervical malformation and malarticulation (CVM), another chiropractic condition common in Warmblood horses.

Methodology

  • The study used a case series method and examined 700 APJ facets of C2 to T2 from 29 Warmblood foals. The foals ranged in age from 11 months gestation to 12 months.
  • Osteochondrosis and prevalence between joints were assessed. The researchers also evaluated the favored location for CVM and the cranial cervical vertebral column.

Results

  • Approximately 20.6% of the examined facets displayed signs of osteochondrosis, but there was no clear favored location for this condition. The prevalence of OC decreased with age up to one year.
  • However, the severity of OC increased with age across all age ranges. The highest prevalence was in the cranial facets of the cervical and cervical-thoracic joints, and in the caudal facets of the thoracic joint up to one year and one month.

Conclusions

  • A major finding of the study was that two-thirds of the studied foals were less than one month old.
  • APJ osteochondrosis was quite common in Warmblood foals, but it wasn’t more prevalent at the common sites for cervical malformation and malarticulation.
  • This suggests that irregularities in the process of transforming cartilage into bone, known as enchondral ossification, may not play a significant role in the development of CVM in Warmblood horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Bergmann W, de Mik-van Mourik M, Veraa S, van den Broek J, Wijnberg ID, Back W, Gröne A. (2020). Cervical articular process joint osteochondrosis in Warmblood foals. Equine Vet J, 52(5), 664-669. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13245

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 5
Pages: 664-669

Researcher Affiliations

Bergmann, Wilhelmina
  • Division of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
de Mik-van Mourik, Marjolijn
  • Division of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
  • Division of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Veraa, Stefanie
  • Division of Integrating Disciplines, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
van den Broek, Jan
  • Division of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Wijnberg, Inge D
  • Division of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Back, Willem
  • Division of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
  • Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Gröne, Andrea
  • Division of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Joints
  • Neck
  • Odds Ratio
  • Osteochondrosis / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

No competing interests have been declared.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Olstad K, Bugge MD, Ytrehus B, Kallerud AS. Closure of the neuro-central synchondrosis and other physes in foal cervical spines. Equine Vet J 2025 Jan;57(1):217-231.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14093pubmed: 38594893google scholar: lookup
  2. Van Cauter R, Serteyn D, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Caudron I. Evaluation of the appearance of osteochondrosis lesions by two radiographic examinations in sport horses aged from 12 to 36 months. PLoS One 2023;18(5):e0286213.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286213pubmed: 37220101google scholar: lookup
  3. Kondo T, Mashimo Y, Sato F, Tsuzuki N, Yamada K. Investigation of a contributing factor for cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy using computed tomography for measuring the cervical vertebral volume. J Vet Med Sci 2022 Aug 1;84(8):1084-1087.
    doi: 10.1292/jvms.22-0188pubmed: 35675981google scholar: lookup
  4. Kondo T, Sato F, Tsuzuki N, Watanabe K, Horiuchi N, Kobayashi Y, Yamada K. Characteristic computed tomographic myelography findings in 23 Thoroughbred horses. J Vet Med Sci 2022 Apr 13;84(4):525-532.
    doi: 10.1292/jvms.22-0036pubmed: 35197397google scholar: lookup
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