Radiological measurements from the feet of normal horses with relevance to laminitis

Abstract

Summary Lateromedial radiographic projections were made from the feet of 25 normal horses and 3 angles and 3 distances were measured. From these, normal ranges of calculated variables were obtained. The width and length of each foot and the height of the horse at the withers was also measured. In view of its possible importance in clinical laminitis, particular attention was paid to ‘founder’ distance (D). This is the vertical distance between the proximal limit of the dorsal hoof wall and the proximal limit of the extensor process of the distal phalanx. There were significant differences between breeds in D (P<0.05) and in wall thickness (P<0.01). Further studies investigated the effects of time, differing radiographic projections and different operators on D. D did not alter significantly (P>0.05) over a 6 week study period. It was concluded that errors due to radiographic beam obliquity were not of practical importance. Errors in measuring D between operators can be minimised by use of a standard radiographic technique. Although there was some variation in the value of D measured over time and with different operators, which could make the interpretation of early or subtle changes difficult, measurement variation was not considered to interfere with the assessment of large changes associated with severe laminitis.

Radiological anatomy of distal phalanx of front foot in the pure Iranian Arabian horse

“…They have also qualified DP and digital soft tissue findings of sound Thoroughbred racehorses and matched the data with their racing performance. Cripps and Eustace [9] have measured the normal radiographic findings in the feet of normal horses with relevance to laminitis.…”

Relação espacial entre a falange distal e o estojo córneo em éguas Campolinas jovens com e sem sinais de obesidade

“…Além disso, esses valores estão próximos aos encontrados por Magalhães et al (2014) e Xavier et al (2014) que foram em média 19,65mm e 17mm, respectivamente. Outros valores foram encontrados na literatura internacional: <19mm para raças menores (<1,50m de altura) (Cripps & Eustace 1999, Redden 2003, Fraley 2007, 18 a 20 mm para cavalos de sela "Warmblood" (Sloet Van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan 1999) e média de 20 mm para trotadores "Standardbreds" (Redden 2003).…”

Hoof capsule distortion and radiographic measurements of the front feet in Mangalarga Marchador horses subjected to athletic training

“…Founder distance is a parameter described by Cripps and Eustace (1999) and it is considered an important measurement referent to laminitis. This distance should be lower than 1.0 cm (Eustace 2010) or 1.1cm (Redden 1997).…”