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Prevalence and characteristics of osteochondrosis in 309 Spanish Purebred horses.
Abstract: Articular osteochondrosis (OC) is commonly reported in horses but there are no reports of its prevalence in the Spanish Purebred (SP). The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of OC of the tarsocrural, dorsal metacarpo-metatarsophalangeal and femoropatellar joints in the SP in a retrospective study. The data were obtained from the radiographs of 309 SP horses and the prevalence and characteristics of lesions were calculated. Osteochondral lesions at predilected sites were diagnosed in 48.8% of the horses. It was more common to find the presence of fragments (28.8%) than flattening of the subchondral bone contour (20.1%). The percentage with abnormal articular margins was 1.3% for the femoropatellar joint, 33.3% for the tarsocrural and 25% for the dorsal fetlock region, where flattening was more common than the presence of fragments; in the tarsus and stifle, fragments were more common. The severity of the disease in the dorsal fetlock area was higher in hindlimbs than in forelimbs. Femoropatellar lesions were rare. Osteochondrosis is a common disease in the SP and this study provides information about the prevalence of osteochondrosis lesions in the breed and the interrelationships between the joints.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2015-12-03 PubMed ID: 26670332DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.09.024Google 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 aims to identify the frequency and properties of a joint condition called osteochondrosis in Spanish Purebred horses. This turns out to be quite common with almost half of the examined subjects, based on data gathered from 309 horses’ radiographs.
Objectives of the Study
- The primary objective of this research was to evaluate how common osteochondrosis (OC) is in Spanish Purebred (SP) horses, a topic that had not been covered in previous studies.
- The researchers aimed to document the characteristics of OC in the tarsocrural, dorsal metacarpo-metatarsophalangeal, and femoropatellar joints of SP horses.
- This study wanted to establish the connection between the disease and the breed by investigating the interrelationships of various joints in the horses. They believe that a better understanding of these relationships will lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of OC.
Methodology and Results
- The researchers conducted a retrospective study using radiographs from 309 SP horses to collect their data.
- The results showed that around half of the evaluated horses (48.8%) were found with osteochondral lesions in predisposed locations.
- A higher percentage of horses displayed OC fragments (28.8%) than those showing subchondral bone contour flattening (20.1%).
- The femoropatellar joint had a low rate (1.3%) of abnormal articular margins. The tarsocrural joint was at 33.3%, and the dorsal fetlock area was at 25%.
- In the dorsal fetlock region, flattening was found more commonly than fragments, whereas, in the tarsus and stifle, fragments were more prevalent.
- The disease was more severe in the horses’ hindlimbs in the dorsal fetlock area than in their forelimbs.
- Femoropatellar lesions were found rarely among the horses.
Study Conclusion
- Osteochondrosis was identified to be a typical disease found in Spanish Purebred horses, with a prevalence at about half of the observed population.
- The collected data in the study provides valuable insights about the characteristics of OC lesions in the SP breed and the interconnectedness between various joints.
- This new information could potentially be used to enhance the detection and treatments available for OC in this breed.
Cite This Article
APA
Boado A, López-Sanromán FJ.
(2015).
Prevalence and characteristics of osteochondrosis in 309 Spanish Purebred horses.
Vet J, 207, 112-117.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.09.024 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Clínica privada, El Boalo, 28413 Madrid, Spain.
- Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: lsroman@vet.ucm.es.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Joints / diagnostic imaging
- Joints / pathology
- Male
- Osteochondrosis / diagnostic imaging
- Osteochondrosis / epidemiology
- Osteochondrosis / pathology
- Osteochondrosis / veterinary
- Prevalence
- Radiography
Citations
This article has been cited 2 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.
- Martinez-Saez L, Marín-García PJ, Llobat ML. Osteochondrosis in horses: An overview of genetic and other factors. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):6-19.
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