Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography Findings in 105 Horse Distal Extremities.

The study is a review of horse foot and lower limb CT scans employing different imaging enhancement techniques to provide a comprehensive understanding of the range and severity of pathologies. It presents data from a five year period and suggests this method could be more efficient in diagnosing significant cases.

Research Objective

• The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of combining CT (Computed Tomography), CTA (CT Angiography), and CTAR (contrast enhanced CT) to obtain a comprehensive view of a variety of equine foot diseases.

Methodology

• The researchers undertook a retrospective study, reviewing radiology reports on the distal limbs of all horses admitted for CT scans within a five-year duration.
• The study included only those horses with a complete four-stage CT examination and a radiology report identifying lameness purely in the foot region.

Findings and Analysis

• The analysis of one hundred and five exams on fifty six horses unveiled navicular bone condition in 64%, deep digital flexor tendinopathy in 43%, distal interphalangeal osteoarthritis in 35%, navicular bursitis in 31%, distal interphalangeal collateral ligament desmopathy in 26%, and hoof capsule & distal phalanx pathologies in 10%.
• The researchers utilized a four grade semiquantitative severity scoring system to categorize twenty seven imaging findings into six main diagnostic categories.
• However, only a quarter of the cases depicting navicular bone disease were deemed clinically significant. A majority of deep digital flexor tendon lesions (77%) along with distal interphalangeal joint osteoarthritis (51%) were also considered significant.
• Approximately one-third of navicular bursa (37%) and collateral ligament (33%) abnormalities were deemed significant. Interestingly, navicular bursa abnormalities were associated with navicular bone disease and deep digital flexor tendon lesions.

Conclusion

• This study supported the hypothesis that the combined use of CT, CTA, and CTAR results in a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of distal limb pathologies in horses.
• This novel approach could potentially help practitioners provide a more accurate and definitive diagnosis, thereby optimizing the therapeutic interventions.