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Diagnostic sensitivity and interobserver agreement of radiography and ultrasonography for detecting trochlear ridge osteochondrosis lesions in the equine stifle.
Abstract: Osteochondrosis lesions commonly occur on the femoral trochlear ridges in horses and radiography and ultrasonography are routinely used to diagnose these lesions. However, poor correlation has been found between radiographic and arthroscopic findings of affected trochlear ridges. Interobserver agreement for ultrasonographic diagnoses and correlation between ultrasonographic and arthroscopic findings have not been previously described. Objectives of this study were to describe diagnostic sensitivity and interobserver agreement of radiography and ultrasonography for detecting and grading osteochondrosis lesions of the equine trochlear ridges, using arthroscopy as the reference standard. Twenty-two horses were sampled. Two observers independently recorded radiographic and ultrasonographic findings without knowledge of arthroscopic findings. Imaging findings were compared between observers and with arthroscopic findings. Agreement between observers was moderate to excellent (κ 0.48-0.86) for detecting lesions using radiography and good to excellent (κ 0.74-0.87) for grading lesions using radiography. Agreement between observers was good to excellent (κ 0.78-0.94) for detecting lesions using ultrasonography and very good to excellent (κ 0.86-0.93) for grading lesions using ultrasonography. Diagnostic sensitivity was 84-88% for radiography and 100% for ultrasonography. Diagnostic specificity was 89-100% for radiography and 60-82% for ultrasonography. Agreement between radiography and arthroscopy was good (κ 0.64-0.78). Agreement between ultrasonography and arthroscopy was very good to excellent (κ 0.81-0.87). Findings from this study support ultrasound as a preferred method for predicting presence and severity of osteochondrosis lesions involving the femoral trochlear ridges in horses.
© 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.
Publication Date: 2012-12-26 PubMed ID: 23278908DOI: 10.1111/vru.12004Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper examines the effectiveness and reliability of radiography and ultrasonography in detecting and assessing the severity of osteochondrosis lesions in the femoral trochlear ridges of horses. The results show that while both methods are quite effective, ultrasonography displays higher diagnostic sensitivity and a very good level of agreement with arthroscopy, the reference standard, thus making it a preferable diagnostic tool.
Objective and Methodology
- The study was conducted with the objective of determining the diagnostic sensitivity and interobserver agreement in the use of radiography and ultrasonography for the detection and grading of osteochondrosis lesions in the equine trochlear ridges.
- Trochlear ridge osteochondrosis is a common condition in horses and accurate detection and grading are crucial for effective treatment. Despite the routine use of radiography for diagnosis, previous studies have found a poor correlation between radiographic and arthroscopic findings.
- To fill this knowledge gap, the study compared the effectiveness of radiography and ultrasonography, using arthroscopy as the reference standard.
- Two observers independently recorded radiographic and ultrasonographic findings for each of the 22 horses sampled, without knowledge of the arthroscopic findings. These imaging findings were then compared between observers and with the arthroscopic findings.
Findings
- The research found moderate to excellent interobserver agreement for radiography in detecting (κ 0.48-0.86) and grading lesions (κ 0.74-0.87) . For ultrasonography, the agreement was good to excellent for detection (κ 0.78-0.94) and very good to excellent for grading (κ 0.86-0.93).
- The diagnostic sensitivity was 84-88% for radiography and 100% for ultrasonography. This indicates that ultrasonography detected all the lesions, showing a higher diagnostic sensitivity than radiography.
- The diagnostic specificity was very good for radiography (89-100%) while moderately good for ultrasonography (60-82%), showing that radiography is slightly more reliable in avoiding false positives.
- The level of agreement between radiography and arthroscopy was good (κ 0.64-0.78), while the agreement between ultrasonography and arthroscopy was very good to excellent (κ 0.81-0.87). This suggests that ultrasonography correlates more closely with the reference standard, arthroscopy.
Conclusion
- Based on the diagnostic sensitivity, interobserver agreement, and correlation with arthroscopic findings, ultrasonography appears to be a preferable method for the detection and grading of osteochondrosis lesions on the equine trochlear ridges.
- Given this performance, the paper suggests the increased use of ultrasonography as a preferred diagnostic method in equine veterinary practice.
Cite This Article
APA
Beccati F, Chalmers HJ, Dante S, Lotto E, Pepe M.
(2012).
Diagnostic sensitivity and interobserver agreement of radiography and ultrasonography for detecting trochlear ridge osteochondrosis lesions in the equine stifle.
Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 54(2), 176-184.
https://doi.org/10.1111/vru.12004 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Dipartimento di Patologia, Diagnostica e Clinica Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy. francescabeccati@hotmail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arthroscopy / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horses
- Observer Variation
- Osteochondrosis / diagnosis
- Osteochondrosis / diagnostic imaging
- Osteochondrosis / veterinary
- Prospective Studies
- Radiography
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Stifle / diagnostic imaging
- Stifle / pathology
- Ultrasonography / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- 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.
- Nocera I, Puccinelli C, Sgorbini M, Bagnoli E, Citi S. Ultrasonography of the Metacarpal/Tarsal-Phalangeal Joints in Healthy Racehorses: Normal Appearance, Breed-Related and Age-Related Features. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 3;12(19).
- Van Cauter R, Caudron I, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Serteyn D. Distal sagittal forelimb conformation in young Walloon horses: Radiographic assessment and its relationship with osteochondral fragments. PLoS One 2024;19(10):e0311965.
- Hoey S, Fogarty U, McAllister H, Puggioni A, Cloak B, Richard H, Skelly C, Laverty S. Ultrasonographic assessment of equine metacarpal cartilage thickness is more accurate than computed tomographic arthrography. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2025 Jan;66(1):e13444.
- Van Cauter R, Caudron I, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Serteyn D. Nineteen years of radiographic screening: Impact of sepsis and evolution of osteochondrosis dissecans prevalence in Walloon sport horses born between 2004 and 2022. PLoS One 2024;19(9):e0308304.
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