Qualitative and quantitative interpretation of computed tomography of the lungs in healthy neonatal foals

Abstract

Qualitative evidence of an increase in lung attenuation and patchy alveolar patterns in the ventral lung region were more pronounced in foals ≤ 7 days of age than in older foals. Quantitative analysis revealed that mean ± SD lung attenuation was greater in foals ≤ 7 days of age (-442 ± 28 HU) than in foals > 7 days of age (-521 ± 24 HU). Lung aeration and gas volumes were lower than in other regions ventrally and in the mid lung region caudal to the heart. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE-Identified radiographic patterns and changes in attenuation were most consistent with atelectasis and appeared more severe in foals ≤ 7 days of age than in older neonatal foals. Recognition of these changes may have implications for accurate CT interpretation in sedated neonatal foals with pulmonary disease.

Anatomical Assessment of the Thorax in the Neonatal Foal Using Computed Tomography Angiography, Sectional Anatomy, and Gross Dissections

“…In the present study, CTA images were obtained using a helical CT scanner that provided a qualitative overview of thoracic morphology, giving adequate information of midline thoracic vascular structures, a good depiction of the four chambers of the heart, as well as serving of a standard reference for the size and positions of the heart and main blood vessels. The use of a 16-slice configuration CT scanner and a similar protocol was reported in other studies performed in humans [1][2][3][4][5][6], neonatal foal [17][18][19], dog [30,31], cat [32,33], and goat [34].…”

“…In this research, an intravascular contrast medium administration was very helpful to identify the heart chambers, the main associated vessels, and the delineation of the adjacent non-vascular structures. In veterinary medicine, only a few studies have applied contrast-enhanced helical CT to perform anatomical or clinical studies of the thoracic cavity in dogs [31,[35][36][37] and cats [32], as well as in other studies performed in the thorax [17][18][19] and abdomen [38] of foals. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, the use of intravenous contrast agents to describe the normal anatomy of the thorax in neonatal foals has not been reported before.…”

“…Nonetheless, an advanced imaging technique such as the ultrasound [8,9] has given to the equine practitioners the opportunity to obtain an accurate diagnosis. In addition, helical CTA has also been used in horses, but information is limited to reports on the head, spinal cord, musculoskeletal system, and lungs [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. To the best of our knowledge, a detailed anatomical study using CTA with an iodinated contrast medium for imaging the thorax of neonatal foals has not been reported before.…”

Pneumopericardium associated with blunt thoracic trauma in an adult horse

“…Computed tomography can be used for diagnosis of intrathoracic trauma in foals (Lascola et al . ), but with adult horses the size of the animal is a major limiting factor. However, if the equine practitioner is aware of all the possible consequences of blunt thoracic trauma, with a thorough clinical examination and more accessible imaging modalities it is possible to identify and diagnose most of these conditions in the horse, including pneumopericardium (Hassel ; Epstein , ).…”

Ultrasonographic Examination of the Equine Neonate

“…Of the diagnostic imaging modalities available for use, ultrasonography, radiography, and, increasingly, computed tomography (CT), can provide important and specific input into medical problems of the neonate. Although the preponderance of cases in which CT was used in equine practice has involved orthopedic or intracranial applications, 1 tomography has recently been used to evaluate the lungs in foals [2][3][4][5] and holds promise for investigation of intracavitary diseases in this subset of equine patients in the future. At present, though, its availability is limited; it necessitates use of trained personnel and is generally unavailable after hours, and it requires a foal to be heavily sedated or anesthetized.…”