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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Radiol Ultrasound / Validation of ultrasonography for measurement of cartilage t...
Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association2022; 63(4); 478-489; doi: 10.1111/vru.13085

Validation of ultrasonography for measurement of cartilage thickness in the equine carpus.

Abstract: Articular cartilage thinning is an important hallmark of osteoarthritis (OA), and ultrasonography (US) is a clinically accessible tool potentially suitable for repeated evaluation. The aim of the present prospective methods comparison study was to validate US as a tool for measuring cartilage thickness in the carpus of the horse. Eight Standardbred trotters underwent US examination with 9 and 15 MHz linear transducers. Six anatomical locations in the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) and middle carpal joint (MCJ) were examined. The same joints were assessed by ultrahigh field (9.4 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology. Associations between measurements obtained by the different modalities were assessed by ANOVA, Deming regression, Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots. Histologically assessed total cartilage thickness (the noncalcified cartilage (NCC) plus the calcified cartilage zone (CCZ)) overestimated thickness compared to MRI (P < 0.01) and US (P < 0.01). US 15 MHz had substantial agreement with MRI and NCC histology, and repeatability was acceptable (coefficient of variation = 8.6-17.9%) when used for assessment of cartilage thickness in the RCJ. In contrast, 9 MHz US showed poorer agreement with MRI and NCC histology, as it overestimated the thickness of thin cartilage and underestimated the thickness of thicker cartilage in the RCJ and MCJ. Moreover, repeatability was suboptimal (coefficient of variation = 10.4-26.3%). A 15 MHz transducer US is recommended for detecting changes in RCJ cartilage thickness or monitoring development over time, and it has the potential for noninvasive assessment of cartilage health in horses.
© 2022 The Authors. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Radiology.
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Publication Date: 2022-03-29 PubMed ID: 35347811PubMed Central: PMC9545370DOI: 10.1111/vru.13085Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research performed a comparison study to validate the use of ultrasonography as a suitable method for measuring cartilage thickness in horse joints, with findings supporting the use of a 15 MHz transducer for accurate and repeatable measurements.

Study Objective and Design

  • The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasonography, a non-invasive medical imaging technique, as a tool to measure the thickness of joint cartilage in horses, specifically in the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) and middle carpal joint (MCJ). This is important as thinning of the articular cartilage is a significant indicator of osteoarthritis (OA), a common joint disorder in horses.
  • The research was designed as a prospective methods comparison study, involving eight Standardbred trotters.
  • The horses underwent ultrasound examination using two different types of linear transducers, 9 MHz and 15 MHz. For comparison, the same joints were also evaluated through ultrahigh field (9.4 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology.

Key Findings

  • The measurements obtained via different methods were assessed using ANOVA, Deming regression, Pearson correlation, and Bland-Altman plots. These statistical methodologies allowed the researchers to compare the different techniques and to identify any systematic differences between them.
  • The study found that histologically measured total cartilage thickness (which includes both noncalcified cartilage (NCC) and calcified cartilage zone (CCZ)) tends to overestimate thickness, when compared to the results obtained by MRI and ultrasonography. This was a crucial finding as histology is commonly used to measure cartilage thickness, and these findings could potentially refine current measurement practices.
  • The agreement between the 15 MHz ultrasonography and the MRI and NCC histology results was found to be substantial, and the repeatability of the 15 MHz ultrasonography was also acceptable (coefficient of variation of 8.6% to 17.9%).
  • In contrast, the 9 MHz ultrasonography showed poorer agreement with both MRI and NCC histology, as it overestimated the thickness of thin cartilage and underestimated the thickness of thicker cartilage.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • Given the results, a 15 MHz transducer ultrasonography is recommended for detecting changes in cartilage thickness in the radiocarpal joint or for monitoring its development over time.
  • Moreover, due to its capacity for noninvasive assessment and acceptable repeatability, 15 MHz ultrasonography shows potential for monitoring cartilage health in horses, offering a more readily accessible tool compared to more complex imaging technology like MRI.

Cite This Article

APA
Andersen C, Griffin JF, Jacobsen S, Østergaard S, Walters M, Mori Y, Lindegaard C. (2022). Validation of ultrasonography for measurement of cartilage thickness in the equine carpus. Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 63(4), 478-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/vru.13085

Publication

Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
ISSN: 1740-8261
NlmUniqueID: 9209635
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 63
Issue: 4
Pages: 478-489

Researcher Affiliations

Andersen, Camilla
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.
Griffin, John F
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Jacobsen, Stine
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.
Østergaard, Stine
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.
Walters, Marie
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.
Mori, Yuki
  • Center for Translational Neuromedicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
Lindegaard, Casper
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Carpal Joints
  • Cartilage, Articular / diagnostic imaging
  • Cartilage, Articular / pathology
  • Horses
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / veterinary
  • Prospective Studies
  • Ultrasonography / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Zheng X, Zhu B, Tang Y, Tang X, Li M, Liu B, Qiu L. The semiquantitative assessment of metacarpal head cartilage damage in rheumatoid arthritis via ultrahigh frequency ultrasound. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2025 Mar 3;15(3):1927-1937.
    doi: 10.21037/qims-24-1539pubmed: 40160650google scholar: lookup
  2. Charan A, Chitnis PV, Hoemann CD. Optimization of High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging to Detect Incremental Changes in Mineral Content at the Cartilage-Bone Interface Ex Vivo. Biomimetics (Basel) 2025 Mar 5;10(3).
    doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10030160pubmed: 40136814google scholar: lookup
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