[Radiological and clinical considerations on the proximal sesamoid bones of young horses (author’s transl)].

This study investigates the changes in the proximal sesamoid bones in horses from one month to three years old, discovering inconsistent X-ray findings, growing bone irregularity and newly formed bone as significant observations, despite no noticeable changes in clinical examination.

Study Overview

• The research involved conducting several clinical and radiological examinations of the proximal sesamoid bones in eleven horses aged between one month and three years.
• The focus was on understanding the development and changes in the structure of these bones over time and associating those to clinical significance.

X-ray Findings

• The X-ray findings highlighted in the study were inconsistent, indicating complexity in understanding the evolution of the sesamoid bones.
• The number of nutrient canals, which transport nutrition to the bone tissue, visualized via X-ray found to be increasing or decreasing with no clear pattern.
• The bone structure was noted to become more irregular as the horses aged. This steady shift towards irregularity suggests a transformation process in bone structure.

Bone Developments

• Bone deposits along the edges of the sesamoid bones did not start appearing until the second or the third year of life of the horses.
• This growth of new bone was a significant observation in the study and was recognized as a crucial clinical feature, possibly associating it to the maturity of the horses.

Clinical Examinations

• The appearance of nutrient canals and irregular bone structures were documented in horses, even when the clinical examinations failed to detect any changes.
• This suggests that some of the morphological alterations in the sesamoid bones might not manifest visibly in the horses or are too subtle to be diagnosed through a routine clinical checkup.