Equine MSK diseases 3 Flashcards
Discuss the use of scintigraphy in the diagnosis of back pain in horses
- Extremely sensitive for bone lesions incl. fractures, new bone, infective processes and bone tumours
- Often unrewarding for back soft tissue injuries
- Good for pelvic disorders
Discuss the use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of back pain in horses
- Imaging of supraspinous ligament
- Imaging of spinous processes
- Identification of overriding dorsal spinous processes (kissing spine)
- Poor for muscle injuries
- Good for pelvis, esp. ilial fracures
Describe the ultrasonographic appearance of overriding dorsal spinous processes in horses
- Tips of spines appear very close together
Marked narrowing at the affected interspinous spaces - Pseudoarthrosis may be visible: anechoic area surrounded by well-defined capsule
List the tests, other than imaging, that can be used for the diagnosis of back pain in horses
- Lab tests (muscle enzyme activities - AST, CK, lactate)
- Local anaesthetic blocks
- Infiltration of steroids
- NSAIDs
- Electrical stimulation of epaxial musculature (rare)
Why is trial treatment with NSAIDs useful in the diagnosis of back pain in horses?
Confirmation of presence of pain - differentiate between behaviour and pain
Outline the management of a horse with back pain
- Conservative: box rest, physiotherapy
- Surgical for some causes e.g. kissing spine, some fractures
- Keep horse as light as possible, diet altered accordingly
- May need to consider effect of rider (poor rider, or heavy)
Discuss the prognosis for chronic soft tissue injuries causing back pain in horses
- Guarded prognnosis
- Difficult to confirm
- Need to start treatment including rest, controlled, exercise and physio for several months before declaring unfit for work
List possible causes of lameness originating the equine foot
- Solar/white line infection
- Thrush
- Solar bruising/solar pain
- Hoof wall lesions
- Wounds
- Laminitis
- Foot imbalance/caudal foot pain
- Navicular disease
- DIP joint pain/DJD
- Foot penetrations
- Fractures
List the key features of the initial observation in a lameness examination of the horse
- Weight bearing or not? (Stance)
- Foot balance (conformation)
- Uneven wear of hoof/shoe
- Compare left and right foot
- Shoeing (type, when shod)
Which tendons are affected by a palmar imbalance in horses?
More pressure on flexor tendons
Outline the key features of the physical examination of a lame horse relating to the feet
- Palpate for heat, pain, swelling, digital pulses
- Check show and nail position
- Check sole surface
List the conditions that commonly cause heat, pain, swelling of the foot and palpable digital pulses in the horse
- Laminitis
- Infection
- Sole bruising
- Fractures
- Joint effusions
Outline the typical findings on physical examination in a case of laminitis
- Hot feet, bounding digital pulses
- Can be single limb (overload laminitis), both FLs, or all 4 limbs
- Other systemic signs e.g. tachyC and sweating may be present
Outline the typical findings on physical examination in a case of infection in the equine foot
- Hot foot, bounding digital pulses
- Usually unilateral (sole or white line infections)
Outline the typical findings on physical examination in a case of solar bruising in a horse
- Hot foot, bounding digital pulse
- Usually unilateral, can be bilateral
- Usually FL (takes more weigh)
- Hoof testers/paring away hoof reveals bruising/haemorrhage
Outline the typical findings on physical examination in a cause of foot fractures in a horse
- Hot foot, bounding pulse
- If P2 may have swelling and palpable crepitus
What are the key considerations for when evaluating the movement of a horse in a lameness examination
- Degree of lameness
- Limb/limbs affected
- Effect of surface
- Effect of load (left reign vs right reign)
- Effect of flexion of distal limb
- Need to rule out fractures prior to trotting horse
List the contraindications for diagnostic anaesthesia in a lameness examination in a horse
- Suspected fractures
- Severe soft tissue injuries e.g. DDFT rupture
- Risk of infection e.g. current infection at injection site such as mud fever, or if cannot be performed sterile
List the options for diagnostic anaesthesia for the diagnosis of lameness originating in the equine foot
- Perineural anaesthesia
- Intra-articular anaesthesia
- Distal interphalangeal joint
- Navicular bursal block
- Digital flexor tendon sheath block
What is the main difficulty with diagnostic anaesthesia in the equine foot?
Communication and overlap between different areas is inconsistent between horses e.g. DIP is up against navicular bursa, sometimes communicates allowing perfusion of local anaesthetic between structures, sometimes does not
For which conditions of the equine foot is radiography the first line of diagnostics
- Suspected fracture
- Laminitis
- Suspected bone lesions/foot penetrations
What are the standard views of the equine foot?
- Lateromedial
- Upright pedal
- Upright navicular
- Flexor navicular
What is the first line diagnostic test for synovial sepsis?
Arthrocentesis - no nerve blocks, no radiographs
When is use of ultrasonography indicated in equine foot lameness?
Only soft tissue lesions, limited value due to hoof
When is use of gamma scintigraphy indicated in equine foot lameness?
- Used in non-displaced pedal bone fractures (non radiographic signs)
- May not see much
Discuss the use of MRI in the diagnosis of equine foot lameness
- Very useful, allows assessment of all structures in the foot
- Good for soft tissues e.g. DDFT insertion on P3, collateral ligs of DIP joint
- Expensive
Outline the aetiology of laminitis
- Ischaemic necrosis → vasoconstriction
- Damage to interlaminar bodies, loss of epidermal/dermal junction, separation of laminae
- → separation of P3 from hoof wall
Outline the clinical signs of acute laminitis
- Uni/bi/quadrilateral lameness possible
- Hot foot, bounding pulse, characteristic stance
- TachyC, hypertension, sweating
- Severe: depression at coronary band, protrusion/haemorrhage at sole at toe region
Outline the diagnosis of laminitis
- Radiography
- Lateromedial view with markers on sole and coronary band, and dorsal hoof wall
- Divergence of hoof wall and dorsal P3 measured
- Remodelling in toe area in chronic cases
Discuss the prognostic factors for laminitis
- <5˚ separation = good prognosis
- > 15˚ separation = poor prognosis
- Rapid deviation = poor
- Slow = better
Outline the treatment for laminitis
- Treat underlying cause
- Vasodilators and NSAIDs
- Frog supports, soft deep bedding
- Dorsal wall resection(stop rotation, release seroma fluid)
Outline the importance and treatment of foot balance abnormalities
- Predisposes to other conditions e.g. navicular pain, palmar heel pain, DDFT lesions, DIP joint disease
- Corrective farriery
What is meant by navicular disease and how does it occur?
- Pain in navicular region; bone, bursa or soft tissues
- Biomechanical use
Which horses are predisposed to navicular disease?
Middle aged horses, esp. TB and Warmbloods
Outline the clinical signs of navicular disease in the horse
- Usually FL
- Uni/bi lateral
- Chronic, progressive lameness
- Worse on hard ground
- Periods of box rest may trigger episodes
- +/- Toe point when resting
- Chronic cases have smaller, upright feet
Outline the diagnosis of navicular disease
- Bilateral lameness (short striding or obvious when lunged)
- Positive flexion tests
- Positive to palmar digital nerve block, +/- positive to DIP joint block, positive to navicular nerve block
- Lameness may become more apparent in contralateral limb following nerve block
- Radiography: LM, DPr-60PaDi upright, PaPr-PaDi oblique
- +/- gamma scintigraphy, MRI
Outline the radiographic appearance of navicular disease
- Radiographic signs may not be present, or may be present in abscence of lameness
- New bone formation (lateral and medial wings)
- Loss of corticomedullary junction
- Irregular/cyst like radiolucencies
- Remodelling of distal border (upright pedal) or flexor surface (flexor view), incl. fractures
- Calcification of soft tissues
Outline the conservative treatment options for navicular disease
- Correction of foot balance and farriery
- Avoid rest, need to encourage movement
- Intra-bursal steroid injections
- Systemic NSAIDs
- Isoxuprine
- Bisphosphonates
Outline the surgical treatment options for navicular disease
- Endoscopy of navicular bursa and DDFT
- Suspensory lig. desmotomy
- Neurectomy
Discuss the use of neurectomy in the treatment of navicular disease
- Cut nerves to prevent pain but can still work
- Ethical issue - condition will worsen but will not be felt
- Illegal in some competitions
- Risk of damage to other foot structures