Sonographic anatomy of the palmarodistal aspect of the equine digit.

The study is about using ultrasonography to view the palmarodistal aspect of a horse’s digit (the part of the horse’s foot between the rear ‘heels’). The researchers took ultrasonographic images of this area on cadaver forelimbs and live horses, then dissected the limbs to correlate the images to the actual anatomy.

Methodology

• The researchers used ultrasonography, creating images with a 7.5 MHz microconvex transducer.
• They examined ten fresh equine cadaver forelimbs that were originally obtained from five soundhorses for the study, in both sagittal, parasagittal, and transverse views.
• The researchers also captured images from the proximal part of the middle phalanx to the distal sesamoid bone.
• They obtained anatomic sections from five cadaver specimens to correlate the ultrasonographic images to the anatomic findings.
• The remaining cadaver limbs were dissected to confirm that the anatomy was normal.

Results

• They found that they could perform ultrasonographic examinations on all digits but obtaining distal images was more difficult in digits with longer heels.
• The researchers were able to identify several important bony and soft tissue structures on the sonographic images which matched those seen on the dissected anatomic slices. These included the palmar surface of the middle phalanx, the proximal border of the distal sesamoid bone, the deep digital flexor tendon, the digital tendon sheath, the proximal palmar recess of the distal interphalangeal joint, the proximal recess of the podotrochlear bursa, and the collateral sesamoidean ligaments.

Implications

• The study concluded that ultrasonography provides detailed anatomic details of the palmarodistal aspect of the digit, which could be a valuable tool in equine orthopedics.
• The images generated by this study will serve as a clinical reference for future studies on ultrasonography of this area of the horse’s foot.