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Sacroiliac injuries
presence of an incomplete fracture line and focal periosteal proliferation, characteristic of a stress fracture. A high prevalence of vertebral and pelvic stress fractures was noted in this sample of Thoroughbred racehorses that died because of unrelated injuries. Vertebral and pelvic stress fractures need to be considered in the clinical evaluation of horses with back problems or hind limb lameness. Undiagnosed stress fractures of the vertebrae or pelvis could be a significant cause of poor performance and lameness in Thoroughbred racehorses.
Haussler KK, Stover SM: Stress fractures of the vertebral lamina and pelvis in Thoroughbred racehorses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
Sacroiliac injuries Nuclear bone scintigraphy was used to diagnose sacroiliac injury in 12 horses presented for nonspecific rear limb lameness. The most common history was decreased performance and/or a mild chronic rear limb lameness which could not be localized by routine lameness examination. The scintigraphic patterns of the 12 affected horses were compared to five normal horses and 10 horses with lameness not related to the pelvic region. Subjective and quantitative evaluation of the bone scans clearly separated the 12 affected horses from the five normal horses and the 10 horses with lameness from causes other than the sacroiliac joint disease. The 12 affected horses had a scintigraphic pattern of moderate to marked increased uptake of the radiopharmaceutical within the sacroiliac joint region on the side of lameness. In contrast, the five normal horses and 10 horses scanned for other causes of lameness had a symmetric, or only slightly asymmetric, pattern of radioisotope uptake. Although nonspecific for the type of injury, nuclear bone scintigraphy is considered sensitive for the detection of sacroiliac injuries in horses.
Tucker RL, et al.: Bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of sacroiliac injury in twelve horses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
Diagnosing back pain with motion analysis The spinal movements in maximum arching, dipping and left and right lateral flexion were measured in 10 horses without signs of back pain. A system for motion analysis (Expert Vision System) was used to identify the position of the markers placed on the head, the spinous processes of T5, T10, T16, L3, and on two of the sacral spines. By definition, the maximum of the spinal movement was set when the T16 marker reached its maximum deviation from the start position. The difference between start position and maximum position was presented as per cent of the horse's height at the withers. At T16 the mean results for flexion (arching) of the back were 5.9% (s.d. 0.9), for extension (dipping) -2.4% (s.d. 0.7), for flexion to the left 4.2% (s.d. 1.1), and for flexion to the right 5.3% (s.d. 1.3).
Volume 18, Number 10, 1998
Licka T, Peham C: An objective method for evaluating the flexibility of the back of standing horses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
645
Haussler KK, Stover SM: Stress fractures of the vertebral lamina and pelvis in Thoroughbred racehorses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
Sacroiliac injuries Nuclear bone scintigraphy was used to diagnose sacroiliac injury in 12 horses presented for nonspecific rear limb lameness. The most common history was decreased performance and/or a mild chronic rear limb lameness which could not be localized by routine lameness examination. The scintigraphic patterns of the 12 affected horses were compared to five normal horses and 10 horses with lameness not related to the pelvic region. Subjective and quantitative evaluation of the bone scans clearly separated the 12 affected horses from the five normal horses and the 10 horses with lameness from causes other than the sacroiliac joint disease. The 12 affected horses had a scintigraphic pattern of moderate to marked increased uptake of the radiopharmaceutical within the sacroiliac joint region on the side of lameness. In contrast, the five normal horses and 10 horses scanned for other causes of lameness had a symmetric, or only slightly asymmetric, pattern of radioisotope uptake. Although nonspecific for the type of injury, nuclear bone scintigraphy is considered sensitive for the detection of sacroiliac injuries in horses.
Tucker RL, et al.: Bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of sacroiliac injury in twelve horses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
Diagnosing back pain with motion analysis The spinal movements in maximum arching, dipping and left and right lateral flexion were measured in 10 horses without signs of back pain. A system for motion analysis (Expert Vision System) was used to identify the position of the markers placed on the head, the spinous processes of T5, T10, T16, L3, and on two of the sacral spines. By definition, the maximum of the spinal movement was set when the T16 marker reached its maximum deviation from the start position. The difference between start position and maximum position was presented as per cent of the horse's height at the withers. At T16 the mean results for flexion (arching) of the back were 5.9% (s.d. 0.9), for extension (dipping) -2.4% (s.d. 0.7), for flexion to the left 4.2% (s.d. 1.1), and for flexion to the right 5.3% (s.d. 1.3).
Volume 18, Number 10, 1998
Licka T, Peham C: An objective method for evaluating the flexibility of the back of standing horses. EVJ 1998;30(5).
645