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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Dual-contrast micro-CT enables cartilage lesion detection an...
Equine veterinary journal2022; 55(2); 315-324; doi: 10.1111/evj.13573

Dual-contrast micro-CT enables cartilage lesion detection and tissue condition evaluation ex vivo.

Abstract: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis is a frequent joint disease in the horse. Currently, equine medicine lacks effective methods to diagnose the severity of chondral defects after an injury. Objective: To investigate the capability of dual-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (dual-CECT) for detection of chondral lesions and evaluation of the severity of articular cartilage degeneration in the equine carpus ex vivo. Methods: Pre-clinical experimental study. Methods: In nine Shetland ponies, blunt and sharp grooves were randomly created (in vivo) in the cartilage of radiocarpal and middle carpal joints. The contralateral joint served as control. The ponies were subjected to an 8-week exercise protocol and euthanised 39 weeks after surgery. CECT scanning (ex vivo) of the joints was performed using a micro-CT scanner 1 hour after an intra-articular injection of a dual-contrast agent. The dual-contrast agent consisted of ioxaglate (negatively charged, q = -1) and bismuth nanoparticles (BiNPs, q = 0, diameter ≈ 0.2 µm). CECT results were compared to histological cartilage proteoglycan content maps acquired using digital densitometry. Results: BiNPs enabled prolonged visual detection of both groove types as they are too large to diffuse into the cartilage. Furthermore, proportional ioxaglate diffusion inside the tissue allowed differentiation between the lesion and ungrooved articular cartilage (3 mm from the lesion and contralateral joint). The mean ioxaglate partition in the lesion was 19 percentage points higher (P < 0.001) when compared with the contralateral joint. The digital densitometry and the dual-contrast CECT findings showed good subjective visual agreement. Conclusions: Ex vivo study protocol and a low number of investigated joints. Conclusions: The dual-CECT methodology, used in this study for the first time to image whole equine joints, is capable of effective lesion detection and simultaneous evaluation of the condition of the articular cartilage.
© 2022 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2022-03-30 PubMed ID: 35353399PubMed Central: PMC10084070DOI: 10.1111/evj.13573Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

This research investigates how dual-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (dual-CECT) can detect cartilage damage and evaluate the severity of degeneration in horse joints following trauma, offering promising approaches for improving diagnosis methods in equine medicine.

Research Objectives and Methods

  • The objective of this study was to assess the potential of dual-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (dual-CECT) for detecting and evaluating the state of cartilage degeneration in horse’s carpal joints post-trauma.
  • In this pre-clinical experiment, chondral defects were artificially created on nine Shetland ponies via blunt and sharp grooves. A deliberate exercise routine was followed for eight weeks after creating the grooves, and the horses were euthanised 39 weeks post-surgery.
  • The carpal joints were then evaluated using dual-contrast-enhanced computed tomography, performed using a micro-CT scanner an hour after intravenous injection of a dual-contrast agent – a mix of bismuth nanoparticles and the negatively-charged compound ioxaglate. The CT findings were benchmarked against histological cartilage content maps captured through digital densitometry.

Experiment Findings

  • The research found that bismuth nanoparticles enabled longer visual detection of both types of grooves since they’re too large to diffuse into the cartilage.
  • The diffusion of ioxaglate into the tissue facilitated distinguishing between the lesion and unaffected articular cartilage, located at least 3mm away from the lesion and in the contralateral joint.
  • There was a significantly higher mean ioxaglate content in the lesions compared to the contralateral joint, suggesting the methodology’s effectiveness in detecting cartilage damage.
  • The comparison between dual-contrast CECT findings and results from digital densitometry suggested a good subjective visual agreement, pointing out a possible correlation.

Conclusions and Limitations

  • The dual-contrast CECT method, applied for the first time in imaging whole equine joints, shows potential in effectively detecting lesions and evaluating the condition of the articular cartilage simultaneously.
  • However, the study outcomes are limited by the small number of joints examined and the ex vivo nature of the protocol, using harvested tissues instead of live subjects. Further studies including a larger sample size and live subjects are required to substantiate these initial findings.

Cite This Article

APA
Honkanen MKM, Mohammadi A, Te Moller NCR, Ebrahimi M, Xu W, Plomp S, Pouran B, Lehto VP, Brommer H, van Weeren PR, Korhonen RK, Töyräs J, Mäkelä JTA. (2022). Dual-contrast micro-CT enables cartilage lesion detection and tissue condition evaluation ex vivo. Equine Vet J, 55(2), 315-324. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13573

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 55
Issue: 2
Pages: 315-324

Researcher Affiliations

Honkanen, Miitu K M
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
  • Diagnostic Imaging Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
Mohammadi, Ali
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Te Moller, Nikae C R
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Ebrahimi, Mohammadhossein
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
  • Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Xu, Wujun
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Plomp, Saskia
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Pouran, Behdad
  • Department of Orthopedics, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Lehto, Vesa-Pekka
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Brommer, Harold
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
van Weeren, P René
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Korhonen, Rami K
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Töyräs, Juha
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
  • School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
  • Science Service Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
Mäkelä, Janne T A
  • Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • X-Ray Microtomography / veterinary
  • Ioxaglic Acid
  • Contrast Media
  • Cartilage, Articular / diagnostic imaging
  • Cartilage, Articular / pathology
  • Cartilage Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Cartilage Diseases / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Horse Diseases / pathology

Grant Funding

  • LLP-22 / Dutch Arthritis Association grant
  • 307932 / Academy of Finland
  • 314412 / Academy of Finland
  • 324529 / Academy of Finland
  • the University of Eastern Finland's Doctoral Programme in Science, Technology and Computing (SCITECO)
  • 200016 / Emil Aaltosen Säätiö
  • 5041769 / the Research Committee of the Kuopio University Hospital Catchment Area for the State Research Funding
  • 022.005.018 / NWO Graduate Programme Grant
  • Vilho, Yrjö and Kalle Väisälä Foundation of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
  • 190111 / Alfred Kordelinin Säätiö

Conflict of Interest Statement

No conflicts of interest have been declared.

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