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Veterinary sciences2022; 9(6); 297; doi: 10.3390/vetsci9060297

Characterization of Equine Chronic Tendon Lesions in Low- and High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Abstract: In equine medicine, experience regarding MRI of chronic tendon lesions is limited, and evidence on the suitability of different sequences in 3 T high-field MRI is scarce. Therefore, macroscopically healthy and altered tendons were examined by histology and in 0.27 T low- and 3 T high-field MRI, focusing on T1-weighted (T1w) sequences to visualize chronic lesions. In high-field MRI, tendons were positioned parallel (horizontal) and perpendicular (vertical) to the magnetic field, acknowledging the possible impact of the magic angle effect. The images were evaluated qualitatively and signal intensities were measured for quantitative analysis. Qualitative evaluation was consistent with the quantitative results, yet there were differences in lesion detection between the sequences. The low-field T1w GRE sequence and high-field T1w FLASH sequence with vertically positioned tendons displayed all tendon lesions. However, the horizontally scanned high-field T1w SE sequence failed to detect chronic tendon lesions. The agreement regarding tendon signal intensities was higher between high-field sequences scanned in the same orientation (horizontal or vertical) than between the same types of sequence (SE or FLASH), demonstrating the impact of tendon positioning. Vertical scanning was superior for diagnosis of the tendon lesions, suggesting that the magic angle effect plays a major role in detecting chronic tendon disease.
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Publication Date: 2022-06-15 PubMed ID: 35737349PubMed Central: PMC9229038DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9060297Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research explores the use of two forms of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), low-field and high-field, in diagnosing chronic tendon lesions in horses. The study found that the position of the tendon during a high-field MRI—whether horizontal or vertical—has a significant impact on the detection of these tendon lesions.

Background and Aim

  • In veterinary medicine, specifically in horses, chronic tendon lesions present a significant problem. Understanding and diagnosing these effectively is vital for appropriate treatment. The research focused on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to aid diagnosis.
  • Two types of MRI equipment were examined – low-field 0.27 Tesla (T) and high-field 3 T. These differ in their magnetic field strength.
  • The study compared different scanning sequences, particularly focusing on the T1-weighted (T1w) MRI sequences, to detect chronic tendon lesions.
  • In high-field MRI, the possible impact of the magic angle effect—the phenomenon that affects the signal intensity from tissues in MRI, dependent on the orientation of the tissue with the magnetic field—was also considered.

Methodology

  • Both healthy and altered tendons were examined via both types of MRIs and histology (the study of the microscopic structure of tissues).
  • In high-field MRI, tendons were placed both horizontally and vertically to observe the impact of the magic angle effect.
  • Qualitative and quantitative assessments of the MRIs were conducted with their findings compared.

Findings

  • Qualitative evaluations aligned with the quantitative results but there were observable differences in lesion detection between different sequences.
  • All tendon lesions were seen using the low-field T1w GRE sequence and the vertically scanned high-field T1w FLASH sequence.
  • Not all chronic tendon lesions were detected by the high-field T1w SE sequence when tendons were scanned horizontally.
  • Comparison of tendon signal intensities showed greater agreement between high-field sequences scanned in the same orientation (horizontal or vertical) than those of the same type of sequence (SE or FLASH). This underlined the influence of tendon positioning in the scanning process.
  • Vertical scanning proved more efficient in diagnosing tendon lesions, indicating that the ‘magic angle effect’ is significant in detecting chronic tendon disorders.

Conclusions

  • The study indicates that accurate detection of chronic tendon lesions in horses can be significantly influenced by the type of MRI used, the scanning sequence employed, and the orientation of the tendon during scanning.
  • The research underscores the importance of positioning tendons vertically during high-field MRI scans for effective diagnosis, emphasizing the impact of the magic angle effect in this process.

Cite This Article

APA
Doll CU, von Pueckler K, Offhaus J, Berner D, Burk J. (2022). Characterization of Equine Chronic Tendon Lesions in Low- and High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Vet Sci, 9(6), 297. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9060297

Publication

Veterinary sciences
ISSN: 2306-7381
NlmUniqueID: 101680127
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 6
PII: 297

Researcher Affiliations

Doll, Carla Ulrike
  • Equine Clinic (Surgery, Orthopedics), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Straße 108, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
von Pueckler, Kerstin
  • Small Animal Clinic (Surgery, Radiology), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Straße 114, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Offhaus, Julia
  • Department for Horses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 21a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Berner, Dagmar
  • Equine Referral Hospital, Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK.
Burk, Janina
  • Equine Clinic (Surgery, Orthopedics), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Straße 108, 35392 Giessen, Germany.

Grant Funding

  • BU3110/1-2 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Doll CU, Bohner M, Berner D, Buettner K, Horstmeier C, Winter K, Burk J. Approaches to standardising the magnetic resonance image analysis of equine tendon lesions. Vet Rec Open 2023 Jun;10(1):e257.
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  2. Miles S, McCauley C, Carossino M, Del Piero F, Liu CC, Gaschen L. Normal MRI features of the manica flexoria in horses and evaluation of the anatomic variability between forelimbs and hindlimbs. PLoS One 2025;20(7):e0327880.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327880pubmed: 40690480google scholar: lookup
  3. Scharf A, Acutt E, Bills K, Werpy N. Magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing and managing deep digital flexor tendinopathy in equine athletes: Insights, advances and future directions. Equine Vet J 2025 Sep;57(5):1183-1203.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14508pubmed: 40314097google scholar: lookup
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