Evaluation of agreement for radiographic lesions and risk for racing in thoroughbred yearling sale repository radiographs.
Abstract: The veterinary yearling pre-sale repository radiographs have the potential to impact both vendor and prospective purchaser. The primary aim of this study was to determine inter-observer agreement for orthopaedic lesions identified in thoroughbred yearling repository radiographs. A secondary goal was to determine agreement when using a pre-defined risk rating classification. Unassigned: Three experienced specialist equine surgeons (2 ACVS & 1 FANZCVS) interpreted thirty repository radiographs once each for radiographic abnormalities. Each radiographic abnormality was given an associated risk assessment for future racing performance. Unassigned: The use of a pre-defined risk rating grading scale resulted in good to excellent agreement as observers reached a consensus on risk ratings for lesions 97.1% of the time. The highest agreement was for the proximal interphalangeal joint and distal interphalangeal joint, with 99.9 and 98.2% agreement, respectively. The tarsal region was the joint with the highest disagreement with respect to pathology, with observers disagreeing 5.2% of the time. Unassigned: This study found that experienced veterinary surgeons reliably agreed on the absence of lesions but showed disagreement on the specific risk rating of common lesions.
Copyright © 2024 Argue and Ahern.
Publication Date: 2024-10-03 PubMed ID: 39421830PubMed Central: PMC11483323DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1430993Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research focused on assessing the level of agreement among experienced equine surgeons in identifying orthopedic lesions in thoroughbred yearling horses using repository radiographs, and the associated risk for future racing performance.
Objective
- The main goal of the study was to measure the level of inter-observer agreement in identifying orthopedic abnormalities or lesions in thoroughbred yearling repository radiographs.
- The secondary objective of the study was to evaluate the level of agreement among the observers when using a pre-defined risk rating classification for each identified radiographic abnormality and its future impact on the horse’s racing performance.
Methodology
- Three experienced specialist equine surgeons participated in the study, two from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and one from the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
- Each surgeon analyzed thirty repository radiographs in an unassigned manner, noting any radiographic abnormalities.
- The observers each provided an associated risk assessment for the horse’s future racing performance based on each abnormality identified.
Findings
- When applying a pre-defined risk rating grading scale, the agreement among observers was good to excellent. They reached consensus on risk ratings for lesions 97.1% of the time.
- The highest level of agreement was around the proximal interphalangeal joint and the distal interphalangeal joint, with agreement levels of 99.9% and 98.2% respectively.
- However, the tarsal region or the ankle joint was found to be the joint area with the highest level of disagreement about the presence of pathology, with a disagreement rate of 5.2% among observers.
Conclusion
- Results from this study indicated that experienced veterinary surgeons fairly reliably agreed on the absence of lesions in the repository radiographs.
- However, there was a level of disagreement when it came to the specific risk rating of common lesions identified, indicating a level of subjectivity in risk assessment.
Cite This Article
APA
Argue BJ, Ahern BJ.
(2024).
Evaluation of agreement for radiographic lesions and risk for racing in thoroughbred yearling sale repository radiographs.
Front Vet Sci, 11, 1430993.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1430993 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, QLD, Australia.
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, QLD, Australia.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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