Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Magnetic resonance and radiographic imaging of a case of bilateral bipartite navicular bones in a horse.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Harcourt, M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Wollondilly Equine · Australia
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In this case, a 7-year-old Warmblood gelding, which is a type of horse used for eventing, was found to have a condition called bilateral bipartite navicular disease. This means that the navicular bones in both of his front feet were split into two parts. Using special imaging techniques, the veterinarians discovered not only the split bones but also other issues in the foot that haven't been seen in similar cases before. These findings helped the vets understand why horses with this condition often struggle to return to their previous athletic performance levels. Overall, the prognosis for this horse was not very good due to the complexity of the issues found.
Abstract
CASE REPORT: We describe the radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with a case of bilateral forelimb bipartite navicular disease in a 7-year-old Warmblood gelding used for eventing. In addition to the radiographically evident partitioned navicular bones, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) also detected other concurrent abnormalities occurring within the foot that have not been described before in other cases of navicular bone partition. MRI not only revealed soft tissue lesions of the podotrochlear apparatus, but also allowed for more detailed characterisation of the recently diagnosed osseous navicular bone pathology. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of these additional changes influenced prognostication in this case and provides an explanation for why this condition usually results in such a poor prognosis for the return to previous levels of performance in athletic patients.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30370597/