Page 190 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

REQUIREMENTS

• The horse must be clean and dry.
VetBooks.ir • It should not be exposed to sunshine or wear boots, bandages or rugs for 2 hours before

the examination.

• The horse should have an even coat length. The mane can be plaited or arranged in
upright bunches so the neck is not covered with hair.

The procedure is carried out in an area or stable with a constant temperature below 30 °C
with no direct sunlight or draughts. The horse usually stands in the designated area for 15–60
minutes prior to the procedure to acclimatize to the room temperature and is not handled

during this time. Sedatives are avoided as these can affect the circulation (and thus the image
obtained).

The whole body is usually imaged unless a localized and specific problem is being

investigated. In some cases, further images will be taken for comparison following exercise.
Images of one side of the body are compared with the other and also with images obtained

from uninjured horses. In general, a change of 1 °C is considered to be significant.

Limitations of the procedure

• The equipment is expensive.

• The technique takes time and is not practical in every situation.

• The technique may localize a lesion but it does not give any detailed information about
the nature of the injury.

Thus thermography is a useful tool but should be used in addition to other forms of

diagnostic imaging.

ARTHROSCOPY

What is arthroscopy?

In this procedure, a narrow-diameter rigid endoscope (known as an arthroscope) is inserted

into a joint space through a small surgical incision (Figure 5.8). The joint is then distended
with a balanced electrolyte solution. This allows visual inspection of:

• the articular cartilage