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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Determination of magnetic motor evoked potential latency tim...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2019; 33(5); 2312-2318; doi: 10.1111/jvim.15576

Determination of magnetic motor evoked potential latency time cutoff values for detection of spinal cord dysfunction in horses.

Abstract: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and recording of magnetic motor evoked potentials (MMEP) can detect neurological dysfunction in horses but cutoff values based on confirmed spinal cord dysfunction are lacking. Objective: To determine latency time cutoff for neurological dysfunction. Methods: Five control horses and 17 horses with proprioceptive ataxia. Methods: Case-control study with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, based on diagnostic imaging, TMS, and histopathological findings. Horses were included if all 3 examinations were performed. Results: Diagnostic imaging and histopathology did not show abnormalities in the control group but confirmed spinal cord compression in 14 of 17 ataxic horses. In the remaining 3 horses, histopathological lesions were mild to severe, but diagnostic imaging did not confirm spinal cord compression. In control horses, latency time values of thoracic and pelvic limbs were significantly lower than in ataxic horses (20 ± 1 vs 34 ± 16 milliseconds, P = .05; and 39 ± 1 vs 78 ± 26 milliseconds, P = .004). Optimal cutoff values to detect spinal cord dysfunction were 22 milliseconds (sensitivity [95% CI interval], 88% [73%-100%]; specificity, 100% [100%-100%]) in thoracic and 40 milliseconds (sensitivity, 94% [83%-100%]; specificity, 100% [100%-100%]) in pelvic limbs. To detect spinal cord dysfunction caused by compression, the optimal cutoff for thoracic limbs remained 22 milliseconds, while it increased to 43 milliseconds in pelvic limbs (sensitivity, 100% [100%-100%]; specificity, 100% [100%-100%] for thoracic and pelvic limbs). Conclusions: Magnetic motor evoked potential analysis using these cutoff values is a promising diagnostic tool for spinal cord dysfunction diagnosis in horses.
© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2019-09-06 PubMed ID: 31490026PubMed Central: PMC6766509DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15576Google 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 reveals that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and Magnetic Motor Evoked Potential (MMEP) analysis may help identify neurological dysfunction in horses using specific ‘cutoff’ times of latency.

Research Objective

  • The main objective of this study was to determine the cutoff values for latency times which could accurately diagnose neurological dysfunction, specifically spinal cord dysfunction, in horses.

Research Methods

  • The research was a case-control study involving five control horses and 17 horses with proprioceptive ataxia (a condition characterized by uncoordinated or imbalanced movements due to defects in the sensory nerve pathways).
  • The researchers adopted a range of methods including diagnostic imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and histopathological examinations. A histopathological examination involves the microscopic examination of tissue in order to observe the manifestations of disease.
  • Horses were included in the study if they underwent all three types of examinations.

Results

  • The findings from diagnostic imaging and histopathological tests did not show any abnormalities in the control group.
  • In contrast, 14 of the 17 ataxic horses had confirmed spinal cord compression and the remaining 3 horses showed mild to severe histopathological lesions, but diagnostic imaging did not confirm spinal cord compression in these instances.
  • In terms of the latency times, the control horses showed significantly lower values compared to the ataxic horses.
  • The optimal cutoff values for detecting spinal cord dysfunction were discovered to be 22 milliseconds for thoracic limbs and 40 milliseconds for pelvic limbs. These values displayed high sensitivity and specificity, meaning they can accurately detect the presence of spinal cord dysfunction, while avoiding false-positive results.
  • When specifically detecting spinal cord dysfunction caused by compression, the optimal cutoff for thoracic limbs remained 22 milliseconds while it increased to 43 milliseconds for pelvic limbs.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes that Magnetic Motor Evoked Potential (MMEP) analysis using these determined cutoff values could be a potentially effective tool in diagnosing spinal cord dysfunction in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Rijckaert J, Pardon B, Saey V, Raes E, Van Ham L, Ducatelle R, van Loon G, Deprez P. (2019). Determination of magnetic motor evoked potential latency time cutoff values for detection of spinal cord dysfunction in horses. J Vet Intern Med, 33(5), 2312-2318. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15576

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 33
Issue: 5
Pages: 2312-2318

Researcher Affiliations

Rijckaert, Joke
  • Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Pardon, Bart
  • Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Saey, Veronique
  • Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Raes, Els
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Van Ham, Luc
  • Small Animal Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Ducatelle, Richard
  • Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
van Loon, Gunther
  • Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Deprez, Piet
  • Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Ataxia / diagnostic imaging
  • Ataxia / physiopathology
  • Ataxia / veterinary
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Evoked Potentials, Motor
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Spinal Cord / diagnostic imaging
  • Spinal Cord / physiopathology
  • Spinal Cord Compression / diagnostic imaging
  • Spinal Cord Compression / physiopathology
  • Spinal Cord Compression / veterinary
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / physiopathology
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / veterinary
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Journée SL, Journée HL, Berends HI, Reed SM, Bergmann W, de Bruijn CM, Delesalle CJG. Trapezius Motor Evoked Potentials From Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Reference Data, Characteristic Differences and Intradural Motor Velocities in Horses. Front Neurosci 2022;16:851463.
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  3. Rijckaert J, Raes E, Buczinski S, Dumoulin M, Deprez P, Van Ham L, van Loon G, Pardon B. Accuracy of transcranial magnetic stimulation and a Bayesian latent class model for diagnosis of spinal cord dysfunction in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):964-971.
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