A new study entitled “Comparison of cone-beam and fan-beam computed tomography and low-field magnetic resonance imaging for detection of palmar/plantar osteochondral disease in Thoroughbred horses”, published in Equine Veterinary Journal, is available as an open access article.
This research study compared cone-beam (standing) Computed Tomography (CT), fan-beam CT, and low-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for the identification and characterisation of palmar/plantar osteochondral disease (POD) lesions in the fetlocks of horses.
POD lesions are important to identify as they have been found to be associated with fetlock joint pain and fractures. Severe POD lesions can be diagnosed using radiography but more subtle lesions can be difficult to identify. With MRI and CT increasingly available for equids, it is important that these imaging modalities are evaluated for the detection of POD lesions.
In this study, all imaging modalities evaluated were able to detect the presence of POD lesions but underestimated the size of the lesion. CT systems (cone-beam and fan-beam) were more sensitive for detection of POD lesions, but MRI may be better able to determine lesion severity and activity.
Comparison of cone-beam and fan-beam computed tomography and low-field magnetic resonance imaging for detection of proximal phalanx dorsoproximal osteochondral defects
Szu-Ting Lin, Nicholas M. Bolas, David R. Sargan, Olivier Restif, Vanessa G. Peter, Rachel Pokora, Hayley Patrick, Alastair K. Foote, Rachel C. Murray
Equine Veterinary Journal, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14023