EQUINE | Equine Disease Update
EQUINE | Equine Disease Update
total protein increases were similar in both conditions ;
• SAA levels remained normal in both serum and synovial fluid samples from horses with synovitis ;
• SAA levels in blood and synovial fluid increased significantly , however , in horses with septic arthritis ; and
• There was good agreement between commercially available SAA assays for both serum and synovial fluid .
“ Interestingly ,” Ludwig added , “ serum SAA concentrations increased earlier than synovial fluid SAA in the septic arthritis horses in our study .
“ While the delayed SAA response in synovial fluid is not ideal for the timely diagnosis of septic arthritis , the early increases in serum SAA may be supportive of a diagnosis of synovial sepsis ,” she continued . “ The early elevation in serum SAA may be beneficial for veterinarians . It is much easier to collect blood for SAA analysis than to perform synoviocentesis ( joint fluid collection ), especially in the field . And this ability to use serum for immediate SAA quantification on the farm may aid in a more timely referral .”
These findings suggest that serum SAA could serve as an early indication of equine joint infection .
CT for Imaging Neck Lesions
Pinpointing the cause of subtle neurologic signs , abnormal head positions , and obscure lamenesses often requires advanced imaging . One such procedure is myelography , which involves injecting dye into cerebrospinal fluid and performing radiography to identify cord lesions that might be to blame . showing that imaging horses ’ necks with CT instead of radiography is both possible and beneficial , even in large horses . Mads Kristoffersen , DVM , CertES ( Orth ), Dipl . ECVS , of the Evidensia Equine Hospital , in Helsingborg , Sweden , presented the results .
Practitioners have been limited in their use of CT because many conventional units cannot accommodate horses ’ large bodies . However , a custom-designed equine CT table and a commercial Big Bore scanner make imaging neck lesions in horses a real possibility , said Kristoffersen .
He shared data from the study of CT exam results from 91 horses , including 72 that had CT myelograms rather than traditional myelograms . Here are key points he described :
• CT can be successfully performed in large adult horses , including Warmbloods weighing up to 1,574 pounds ;
• Even the uppermost areas of the vertebrae in the thoracic ( chest ) area can be imaged via the CT used in the study ;
• Common diagnoses included osteoarthritis of the joints between individual vertebrae , soft tissue lesions ( such as hematomas , degenerated cervical discs , and joint distension ), vertebral bone fragments and fractures , and spinal cord impingement and compression ( wobbler syndrome ); and
• Images were obtained in about one hour , and there were no complications .
While further studies need to be conducted , Kristoffersen said , “ CT can be performed in large adult horses and has great potential to not only diagnose cervical lesions but also guide treatment options .”
Equine veterinarians in Sweden and the United States have taken the traditional myelogram a step further ,
22 • Equine Health Update •