CLINICAL, ULTRASONOGRAPHIC, AND ARTHROSCOPIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HAIR SHAFTS WITHIN SYNOVIAL STRUCTURES OF SEVEN HORSES.

To the authors' knowledge, the ultrasonographic appearance of hair shafts within a synovial structure of the horse has not been described previously. The purpose of this descriptive study was to illustrate the clinical, ultrasonographic, and arthroscopic characteristics of confirmed hair shafts within synovial structures of seven horses. A review of medical records of the Farm and Equine Veterinary Medical Center at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine identified seven horses with clinical signs suspicious for inflammatory or septic synovitis/tenosynovitis that had hair shafts identified within those structures ultrasonographically.

FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASOUND IN THE DISTAL LIMB OF SIX HORSES.

Vascular alterations play important roles in many orthopedic diseases such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis, and synovitis in both human and equine athletes. Understanding these alterations could enhance diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) could be a valuable method for evaluation of blood flow and perfusion of these processes in the equine distal limb, however no reports were found describing feasibility or safety of the technique.

ELASTOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF NATURALLY OCCURING TENDON AND LIGAMENT INJURIES OF THE EQUINE DISTAL LIMB.

Compression elastography is an ultrasonographic technique that estimates tissue strain and may have utility in diagnosing and monitoring soft tissue injuries in the equine athlete. Recently, elastography has been proven to be a feasible and repeatable imaging modality for evaluating normal tendons and ligaments of the equine distal forelimb. The purposes of this prospective study were to investigate the ability of elastography to detect spontaneously occurring lesions of equine tendons and ligaments diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gray-scale ultrasound (US) and to characterize the differences in the elastographic appearance of acute vs.

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC AND ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CAVERNOUS TRANSFORMATION OF THE OBSTRUCTED PORTAL VEIN IN SMALL ANIMALS.

In humans, the process of development of collateral vessels with hepatopetal flow around the portal vein in order to bypass an obstruction is called "cavernous transformation of the portal vein." The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional, multicentric study was to describe presumed cavernous transformation of the portal vein in small animals with portal vein obstruction using ultrasound and multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). Databases from three different institutions were searched for patients with an imaging diagnosis of cavernous transformation of the portal vein secondary to portal vein obstruction of any cause.

Clinical and diagnostic imaging characteristics of lateral digital flexor tendinitis within the tarsal sheath in four horses.

Lateral digital flexor tendonitis is a rarely reported cause of hind limb lameness in performance horses. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe clinical and diagnostic imaging findings for a group of horses with lateral digital flexor tendinitis within the tarsal sheath. Equine cases with a diagnosis of lateral digital flexor tendonitis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the affected region were retrieved from North Carolina University’s medical record database.

Elastographic characteristics of the metacarpal tendons in horses without clinical evidence of tendon injury.

Tendon and ligament injuries are common causes of impaired performance in equine athletes. Gray-scale ultrasonography is the current standard method for diagnosing and monitoring these injuries, however this modality only provides morphologic information. Elastography is an ultrasound technique that allows detection and measurement of tissue strain, and may provide valuable mechanical information about equine tendon and ligament injuries.