Drs. Nadine Ogden, Peter Milner, John Stack and Alison Talbot from the University of Liverpool created a study that compared diagnostic modalities to determine which was the best for identifying foreign bodies in horses' feet. Even when an injury is obvious, it isn't always clear if any foreign material remains within the wound.
The research team buried two foreign bodies into cadaver equine legs: one at the sole and one at the coronary band. The materials included dry wood, soaked wood, glass, slate and plastic. They then asked three equine veterinarians to examine the images produced by computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and digital X-rays.
They determined that there was minimal variation between the vet's findings on all the images. CT was found to be the most useful imaging modality. CT was able to detect all materials; it was able to pick out slate, glass and dry wood better than the other imaging modalities.
The foreign bodies were able to be seen on MRI, but these images were not clear enough for the vets to determine what type of material it was. Plastic and wood were difficult to determine on digital X-rays.
The team notes that though it is not traditionally necessary to determine what material is involved, it is important to use an appropriate imaging technique to make sure the foreign body can be detected.
Read the full investigation here.
Read more at Equine Science Update.
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