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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Low field magnetic resonance imaging of the equine distal in...
PloS one2019; 14(1); e0211101; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211101

Low field magnetic resonance imaging of the equine distal interphalangeal joint: Comparison between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions.

Abstract: This descriptive study aimed to compare the magnetic resonance appearance of the distal interphalangeal joint articular cartilage between standing weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions. Ten forefeet of live horses were scanned in a standing low-field magnetic resonance system (0.27 T). After euthanasia for reasons unrelated to the study, the non-weight-bearing isolated feet were scanned in a vertical positioning reproducing limb orientation in live horses. The same acquisition settings as during the weight-bearing examination were used. Thickness and cross-sectional area of the distal interphalangeal articular cartilage and joint space were measured on tridimensional T1-weighted gradient echo high resolution frontal and sagittal images at predetermined landmarks in both conditions and were compared using a linear mixed-effects model. Frontal images were randomized and submitted to 9 blinded readers with 3 different experience levels for identification of weight-bearing versus non-weight-bearing acquisitions based on cartilage appearance. Weight-bearing limbs had significantly thinner distal interphalangeal cartilage (p = 0.0001) than non-weight-bearing limbs. This change was greater in the distal phalanx cartilage than that of the middle phalanx. Blinded readers correctly identified 83% (range 65 to 95%) of the images as weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing acquisitions, with significantly different results observed among the different readers (p < 0.001) and groups (p < 0.001). These results indicate that distal interphalangeal articular cartilage and particularly cartilage of the distal phalanx thins when weight-bearing compared to the non-weight-bearing standing postmortem conditions and suggest that cartilage abnormalities may be more difficult to identify on weight-bearing standing magnetic resonance imaging.
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Publication Date: 2019-01-28 PubMed ID: 30689659PubMed Central: PMC6349334DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211101Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • 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 study compares the thickness and area of a horse’s distal interphalangeal joint articular cartilage under weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions using magnetic resonance imaging. The results show that the cartilage becomes significantly thinner when bearing weight, which could complicate the detection of cartilage abnormalities.

Study Summary

  • Researchers conducted a descriptive study wherein they compared the appearance of a horse’s distal interphalangeal joint articular cartilage under two conditions: weight-bearing (when the horse is standing) and non-weight-bearing (isolated feet with no weight put on them).
  • They used low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 0.27 Tesla to scan the cartilage under both conditions. The weight-bearing condition scans were taken while the horses were alive and standing, whereas the non-weight-bearing condition scanned isolated feet post-euthanasia.
  • The positioning of the feet during the non-weight-bearing scans was arranged to mimic the limb orientation of live horses. The same acquisition settings were used during both the weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing examinations.

Methodology and Results

  • The thickness and cross-sectional area of the distal interphalangeal articular cartilage and the joint space were measured from high resolution 3D T1-weighted gradient echo frontal and sagittal images. These measurements were made at predetermined landmarks under both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions.
  • The statistical comparison between the conditions was conducted using a linear mixed-effects model.
  • The findings revealed that the distal interphalangeal cartilage of weight-bearing limbs is significantly thinner than that of non-weight-bearing limbs. The difference is particularly noticeable in the distal phalanx cartilage as compared to the middle phalanx. This difference in thickness meant that cartilage abnormalities may be more challenging to identify on weight-bearing standing MRI.
  • Furthermore, 9 readers with varying levels of experience identified weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing acquisitions based on the appearance of the cartilage in randomized frontal images. These readers were able to correctly identify 65-95% of the images, with significant variation in results among different readers and groups.

Conclusions

  • This study indicates that distal interphalangeal articular cartilage, especially in the distal phalanx, becomes significantly thinner when the limb is bearing weight as compared to non-weight-bearing conditions.
  • This thickness change could potentially complicate the detection of cartilage abnormalities when using weight-bearing standing MRI.
  • These results might have implications for veterinary medicine, especially in the field of equine orthopedics, as they may influence imaging strategies and diagnostic approaches related to articular cartilage pathologies.

Cite This Article

APA
Evrard L, Audigié F, Bertoni L, Jacquet S, Denoix JM, Busoni V. (2019). Low field magnetic resonance imaging of the equine distal interphalangeal joint: Comparison between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions. PLoS One, 14(1), e0211101. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211101

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 1
Pages: e0211101
PII: e0211101

Researcher Affiliations

Evrard, Laurence
  • Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals and Equids, Equine Division, Diagnostic Imaging Section, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Audigié, Fabrice
  • Centre d'Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Unité 957 BPLC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Normandie Equine Vallée, Goustranville, France.
Bertoni, Lélia
  • Centre d'Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Unité 957 BPLC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Normandie Equine Vallée, Goustranville, France.
Jacquet, Sandrine
  • Centre d'Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Unité 957 BPLC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Normandie Equine Vallée, Goustranville, France.
Denoix, Jean-Marie
  • Centre d'Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE), Unité 957 BPLC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Normandie Equine Vallée, Goustranville, France.
Busoni, Valeria
  • Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals and Equids, Equine Division, Diagnostic Imaging Section, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Forelimb / diagnostic imaging
  • Horses
  • Joints / diagnostic imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Random Allocation

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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