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Home / Equine Research Bank / Biology (Basel) / Evaluation of Thermal Changes of the Sole Surface in Horses ...
Biology2023; 12(3); doi: 10.3390/biology12030423

Evaluation of Thermal Changes of the Sole Surface in Horses with Palmar Foot Pain: A Pilot Study.

Abstract: Horses with palmar foot pain do not show a typical increase in temperature in the palmar aspect of the hoof and heel due to low blood flow. The objectives of the current study were to determine the changes and differences in the thermographic pattern of the sole surface in horses with unilateral palmar foot pain and non-lame horses before and after training. We hypothesized that the thermal pattern and the local temperature of the frog area and toe area would be similar, with an increased local temperature after training in both lame and non-lame horses. A pilot study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of thermography used to detect changes in local temperature and to compare the thermal patterns observed on the sole surface after training. Methods: The study group included eight horses with unilateral forelimb palmar foot pain (n = 8) and healthy contralateral limbs (n = 8). Four additional non-lame horses served as controls. The horses were selected for the study based on the following criteria: forelimb with unilateral chronic progressive lameness and positive reactions when performing the hoof test and frog wedge test, degenerative findings of the navicular bone, and improvement in lameness after perineural analgesia of the medial and lateral palmar digital nerve. The local temperatures of the frog and toe areas were measured before and after training in the affected and contralateral limbs in the study group and both forelimbs in the control group using an FLIR E50 thermal camera. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to check the sensitivity and specificity of the results for the studied groups. Results: The thermal patterns of the hoof presented differences between the three groups of horse limbs. After training, the temperature of the sole surface increased, and its area increased in the limbs affected with palmar foot pain compared with the non-lame limbs in the study group and the limbs in the control group. The temperature of the frog area did not increase after training in the limbs affected with palmar foot pain compared with the same area in the other groups. The ROC curve analysis demonstrated the medical applicability of this tool and showed that thermography is a reliable diagnostic test to correctly discriminate between non-lame horses and those with palmar foot pain. Conclusions: We recommend thermographic scanning of the toe and frog area to detect changes in the local temperature of the sole surface after training to discriminate the horses with palmar foot pain from non-lame ones. Further investigation is required to clarify whether the observed thermographic imaging features of the sole surface are characteristic for horses with palmar foot pain.
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Publication Date: 2023-03-10 PubMed ID: 36979115PubMed Central: PMC10045226DOI: 10.3390/biology12030423Google 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 aims to identify thermal changes in the feet of horses with palmar foot pain. It suggested that thermography (a technique for detecting and measuring changes in skin temperature) might be a useful diagnostic tool for distinguishing between horses with this type of foot pain and unaffected ones.

Research Methodology

  • The study was conducted on a small group of 12 horses; 8 with unilateral forelimb palmar foot pain and 4 without any observed lameness forming the control group.
  • The pain-affected horses were selected based on few criteria like chronic progressive lameness in a forelimb, positive reactions to the hoof and frog wedge test, degenerative findings of the navicular bone, and an improvement in lameness after perineural analgesia of the medial and lateral palmar digital nerve.
  • The researchers used an FLIR E50 thermal camera to measure the local temperatures of the frog and toe areas before and after training in both the affected and contralateral limbs in the study group and both forelimbs in the control group.

Results and Findings

  • Notable differences in the thermal patterns of the hoof were observed among the three groups of horse limbs.
  • Post-training, the temperature of the sole surface and its area significantly increased in the limbs affected with palmar foot pain when compared to the non-lame limbs in the study group and the limbs in the control group.
  • The frog area’s temperature did not increase after training in the limbs affected with palmar foot pain, contrasting with the same area’s rise in temperature in other groups.
  • Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis checking the sensitivity and specificity of the results revealed that thermography can be a reliable diagnostic tool correctly identifying non-lame horses and those with palmar foot pain.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • The study concluded that thermographic scanning of the toe and frog area could successfully detect changes in the sole surface local temperature following training for differentiating between horses with palmar foot pain and non-lame ones.
  • However, the researchers suggested further investigation would be required to solidify whether these observed thermographic imaging features of the sole surface are, in fact, characteristic for horses with palmar foot pain.

Cite This Article

APA
Zaha C, Schuszler L, Dascalu R, Nistor P, Florea T, Imre K, Rujescu C, Sicoe B, Igna C. (2023). Evaluation of Thermal Changes of the Sole Surface in Horses with Palmar Foot Pain: A Pilot Study. Biology (Basel), 12(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12030423

Publication

Biology
ISSN: 2079-7737
NlmUniqueID: 101587988
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 3

Researcher Affiliations

Zaha, Cristian
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Schuszler, Larisa
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Dascalu, Roxana
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Nistor, Paula
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Florea, Tiana
  • Dermatology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Imre, Kálmán
  • Department of Animal Production and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Rujescu, Ciprian
  • Management and Rural Development Department, Faculty of Management and Rural Tourism, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Sicoe, Bogdan
  • Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
Igna, Cornel
  • Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Michael I", 300645 Timisoara, Romania.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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