Low-field MRI findings of the fetlock region (in lame horses)

I love these studies where a population of lame horses localized to an anatomic region but without diagnosis is looked at carefully with an MRI and the lesions found are described. Why? Because it is a situation that every lame horse/owner/veterinarian finds himself in and the next question is always, “What do we do next”? The answer depends on the most likely diagnosis and that is the information that surveys like this provide. With this information, the next diagnostic step is often self-evidents.
DrO

Low-field magnetic resonance imaging findings of the fetlock region of non-racehorses
J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 Oct 11:104938. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104938. Online ahead of print.
Authors
A K Auth 1 , G J Hinnigan 2 , M A Smith 3 , K R Owen 2
Affiliations

1 Oakhill Veterinary Centre, Langley Lane, Goosnargh, Preston PR3 2JQ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: auth.adel@gmail.com.
2 Oakhill Veterinary Centre, Langley Lane, Goosnargh, Preston PR3 2JQ, United Kingdom.
3 Image Equine, Ashwell End Farm, Ashwell, Hertfordshire, SG7 5HZ, United Kingdom.

PMID: 37832699
DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104938

Abstract

Low-field, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an advanced imaging modality widely used to diagnose distal limb pathology in horses, but there are limited data regarding lesion distribution within the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal joint (MCP/MTPJ) region in lame non-racehorses. The aim of this study was to describe the low-field MRI findings and lesion distribution in non-racehorses with MCP/MTPJ region pain. Clinical records from horses undergoing MRI of the MCP/MTPJ region between July 2016 and March 2023 were reviewed. Horses were included if pain causing lameness was localized to this region and conventional imaging failed to provide a definitive diagnosis. Eighty-four horses met the inclusion criteria. Soft tissues were affected in 76 (90.5%) horses, with suspensory ligament branch injuries being the most frequent (60.7%) soft tissue pathology identified. Osseous pathology was diagnosed in 51 horses. The subchondral bone (SCB) of the distal third metacarpal/metatarsal bone (MC3/MT3) was the osseous structure most frequently affected (40.5%), with 79.4% of these horses having lesions on the dorsal aspect of the bone. Osteoarthritis was present in 48 (57.1%) horses. The main limitations of the study were the lack of a standardized diagnostic analgesia pattern due to varying veterinary surgeon involvement, and the absence of bilateral magnetic resonance (MR) sequences in all limbs. MRI was a useful diagnostic tool to assess soft tissue structures in the MCP/MTP region in non-racehorses.

Keywords: Equine; MRI; condyle; lameness; suspensory branch.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.