Page 183 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

size constraints it is only suitable for the limbs from the knee and hock down, but has proved

invaluable for improved diagnosis and understanding of equine lameness, particularly of the
VetBooks.ir foot, fetlock and proximal suspensory ligament regions. With some conditions pathological
changes can be identified before they are visible with other imaging techniques.

What does it involve?

• The horse’s shoes and any nails are removed as the metal would interfere with the image

quality.
• The part of the horse being examined must be clean and free from debris. Feet are

scrubbed prior to the procedure.
• The horse is sedated so it remains still as the scan can take up to a couple of hours.

• The horse is walked into the MRI scanner (Figure 5.4) and the injured leg is placed

between the poles of the magnet. A radiofrequency coil is wrapped around the area of
interest (Figure 5.5).

• When the scan is complete and the sedation has worn off the horse can go home.
• The images obtained are examined and stored (Figure 5.6). The image of one limb is

compared with that of the opposite limb and also with images taken of normal horses. A

large number of images are recorded from the area of interest and these take time to
analyse. Do not expect an instant answer as evaluation of an MRI scan may take some
time.