Transrectal ultrasonography of the cranial mesenteric artery of the horse.

The research studied the use of transrectal ultrasonography in examining the cranial mesenteric artery in adult horses, and its diagnostic potential in detecting verminous arteritis, a horse disease. The results showed that it has high sensitivity and specificity in identifying normal and abnormal arteries respectively.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

• The study set out to examine the effectiveness of transrectal ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for the disease, verminous arteritis in horses. Verminous arteritis is a disease condition affecting horses, which is characterized by inflammation of arteries, often caused by parasitical worms.
• 23 conscious adult horses were subjected to transrectal ultrasonography where their cranial mesenteric artery and its major branches were evaluated. The cranial mesenteric artery is a large vessel that supplies blood to a significant part of the small intestine, caecum and colon in horses.
• 25 arterial segments were classified based on the ultrasonography results as either normal or abnormal, providing a reference for further inspections and evaluations.

Results and Findings

• Following the ultrasonography, the horses were euthanized, and each horse’s arteries were subjected to gross and histologic evaluations. These evaluations were done necropsy, meaning they were inspected and tested post-mortem.
• The ultrasonographic classifications proved reliable as they correctly matched the state of the arteries confirmed during necropsy for majority of the cases. Among the examined arterial segments, 90% of the normal arteries were accurately detected, whereas 86% of the abnormal arteries were correctly identified via the ultrasound method.
• The high sensitivity and specificity of the transrectal ultrasonography illustrate its potential effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for detecting verminous arteritis antemortem, or before death. This could possibly provide a non-invasive, easy and reliable way for early diagnosis of the disease in horses, leading to earlier treatment and improved prognosis.

Conclusion

• The research concluded that transrectal ultrasonography is a potentially reliable method for the antemortem diagnosis of verminous arteritis in horses. It offers high sensitivity in detecting normal arteries and high specificity for finding abnormal ones.
• Given the non-invasive nature and accuracy of ultrasonography, it could become a standard diagnostic tool in the veterinary field, particularly in equine practice.