How repeatable is the cervical intraforaminal size on CT?

VRU 64(1): 61-68

May 09, 2023

Study: A retrospective, analytical study was conducted to describe a protocol for quantifying CT cervicothoracic IF size in horses and evaluate the repeatability of IF size measures.

Methods: Computed tomographic images were acquired in 20 Warmblood horses that presented with forelimb lameness and/or neck pain. All IF between C5 and T2 (n = 160) were evaluated. IF cross-sectional area (CSA), APCSA, and AP ventral extent were measured. The repeatability of IFCSA measurement was calculated. Possible associations between IFCSA and: APCSA, ventral extent, side, or location were assessed

Results: The study found that CT cervicothoracic IF size can be measured with excellent repeatability, and associations were found between IF size and AP size, ventral extent, and location.

Conclusion: The study concluded that narrowing of the equine cervicothoracic intervertebral foramina (IF) has the potential to cause forelimb lameness and/or neck pain.

Examples of intervertebral foramina narrowing. A, Sagittal image at C6-C7. Maximum narrowing at the cranial third due to enlargement of the caudal AP of C6. B, Sagittal image at C6-C7. Maximum narrowing at the middle third due to enlargement of the cranial AP of C7. C, Sagittal at C7-T1 is shown. Maximum narrowing at the caudal third due to enlargement of the cranial AP of T1. Note the mineral attenuation along the dorsal aspect of the intervertebral disk space. These images are from different horses and were acquired with a large bore (90 cm diameter) 16-slice third-generation CT unit (Aquilion LB, Toshiba, Brussels, Belgium) associated with a moving gantry positioned in a pit (Qualibra, Berlin, Germany) and with the horses placed in dorsal recumbency. Helical acquisition (135 kVp, 420 mA, collimator pitch = 0.94, detector pitch = 15, 1 mm slice thickness, 1 mm reconstruction interval, matrix size = 512×512 pixels and field of view = 550 mm), bone reconstruction algorithm, bone window (Level = 1000 HU; Width = 3500 HU) and multiplanar reconstruction with 1 mm slice thickness were used for all measurements. AP: articular process.

The significance of this study lies in its potential to improve our understanding of equine cervicothoracic intervertebral foramina (IF) and its association with forelimb lameness and/or neck pain in horses. By developing a protocol for quantifying CT cervicothoracic IF size and evaluating the repeatability of IF size measures, this study provides valuable insights into the potential causes of these conditions and may help inform future research and treatment approaches

How did we do?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Disclaimer: The summary generated in this email was created by an AI large language model. Therefore errors may occur. Reading the article is the best way to understand the scholarly work. The figure presented here remains the property of the publisher or author and subject to the applicable copyright agreement. It is reproduced here as an educational work. If you have any questions or concerns about the work presented here, reply to this email.