Ultrasound as a tool for assessment of bone quality in the horse

Abstract

A simple non-invasive method is described for calculating the transverse apparent velocity of sound of horse bone. This was achieved, both in vivo and at post mortem examination using the metacarpal bone and its covering soft tissue. On 34 post mortem specimens (ie, 68 limbs) from horses older than one year an average measurement of 2802 +/- 37 (1sd) m/sec was obtained. There were changes noted according to age and at different sites on the shaft of the metacarpus. The highest readings were obtained in the proximal shaft where the cortex was thickest. The velocity values gradually decreased towards the distal end where the cortex was thinner, particularly in animals less than 12 months old. The soft tissue component of the velocity measurement was uniform throughout the length of the metacarpus and effectively decreased the apparent velocity of the bone alone by about 170 m/sec (6 per cent). The shortest flight path of the ultrasound beam was found to be through the midcortical region of the metacarpal shaft. A good correlation was obtained between velocity of sound measurements and bone mass. Furthermore partial demineralisation of specimens from the mid-metacarpal region caused a considerable reduction in the apparent velocity of sound. In a series of young thoroughbreds (n = 52) measured in vivo the apparent velocity of sound increased from around 2650 m/sec at six months to approximately 2880 m/sec at three years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Use of Transmission Ultrasonics to Assess Bone Status in the Human Newborn

“…There is a marked increase in the SCV of the lower leg bones of horses and pigs through the 1st yr of life (10-12, 14, 1 3 , the period of maximal postnatal equine and porcine limb growth. SCV and MBS increase linearly during this period, in both autopsy specimens (1 1, 12, 14, 15) and in living animals (10,12) and are highly correlated in the intact lower extremities of live young horses ( r = 0.91, corrected for soft tissue) ( 1 2).…”

“…Although transmission ultrasonics has not been previously applied in human pediatric medicine, the accuracy of estimates of bone strength obtained from measurements of SCV has been validated in animals (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) and the diagnostic application of transmission ultrasonics is becoming increasingly routine in veterinary medicine (9,11). Data collected from young horses and pigs indicates that the methodology provides a useful measure of bone strength in growing bone.…”

Measurement of Equine Bone Mineral Content by Radiographic Absorptiometry Using CR and Ortho Systems

“…There are micro densitometry (MD) [7], digital image processing (DIP) [6], and computed X-ray densitometry (CXD) [9] which use different densitometric methods. There are also single X-ray [photon] [8] are mainly used. The RBAE method is a type of RA, and it has been reported to take a short time for measurement, requires no general anesthesia or sedation, costs less than other methods and is non-…”

“…For measurement of BMC in horses, RBAE [11], DPA [12], DXA [3], CT [15] and the ultrasound method [8] are mainly used. The RBAE method is a type of RA, and it has been reported to take a short time for measurement, requires no general anesthesia or sedation, costs less than other methods and is nonThis article was accepted August 10, 2006 *Corresponding author.…”

Clinical Usefulness of the Measurement of Bone Mineral Content by Radiographic Absorptiometry in the Young Thoroughbred

“…The measurement of changes in BMC in training is important for the evaluation of the training effect on the skeleton and growth. BMC is generally measured by mineralometry, and various methods including the radiographic bone aluminum equivalency (RBAE) method [22], ultrasound method [18], computed tomography (CT) method [35], dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) method [8], and dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) method [23] have been devised and employed on horses. The RBAE method is a type of Radiographic Absorptiometry (RA).…”