[The cervical vertebral column of horses–a clinico-radiological study].

The study focuses on the prevalence of the condition “cervical spondylarthrosis” in horses, discovered via radiological examination, and how it impacts the animals’ mobility and coordination.

Study Background

• The study was conducted because of varying historical reasons.
• A total of 78 horses were examined radiologically.
• Most horses examined during the study were older than those cited in international literature.

Cervical Spondylarthrosis

• The researchers found that 56 of the horses were diagnosed with “cervical spondylarthrosis”, a condition affecting the vertebrae in the neck, based on radiologic findings.
• This diagnosis was made regardless of each horse’s history.

Findings on Affected Horses

• Of these, spinal ataxia – a lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements – was clinically observed in 44 horses.
• Mechanical impairment of the neck’s mobility could be seen in 21 of the horses diagnosed with this condition.
• 10 of the horses suffering from arthrosis had synovial cysts causing compression of the spinal cord.

Location of the Condition

• The research found that 79% of all dorsal intervertebral arthrotic joints existed in the caudal column (from C6/7 to C7/Th1).
• With 38%, C6/7 was the most frequently affected joint.

Joint Assessment

• A comparison was drawn between clinical and radiological findings, and corresponding patho-anatomic results in 29 of the horses diagnosed with this condition were also studied.
• The results from this comparison were deemed satisfactory by the researchers, indicating a decent match between the clinical symptoms, radiological diagnostics, and the anatomical damage identified postmortem.