Clinical and Radiological Evaluation of Distal Extremity Lesions in Racehorses

Abstract

Distal extremity lesions are prevalent in racehorses and cause mild–to–severe lameness, adversely affecting the racing life of horses. This study aimed to determine the incidence of distal extremity lesions in racehorses, to clinically and radiologically assess those lesions. The study included 158 limbs from 140 horses with distal extremity lesions among 282 horses of different breeds, age and sex that were presented to Equine Hospital of the Directorate of Diyarbakir, Turkey, Hippodrome with various clinical complaints during a racing season. Following anamnesis, the horses were clinically examined and lameness was localised. In cases where the lameness could not be localised upon physical examination, regional anaesthesia was performed, followed by radiological assessments based on radiographs acquired from different positions. Clinical and radiological examination revealed that 84.17% of the cases occurred in the forelimb and 15.82% in the rear limb, and the lesions in the forelimb were mostly located in the carpal joint (26.58%), metacarpus (25.31%) and metacarpophalangeal joint (23.41%), whereas those in the rear limb were located in the tarsal joint (7.5%). Therefore, the lesions in the forelimbs were more prevalent than those in the rear limbs of the affected racehorses. Radiography remains a satisfactory imaging technique for the diagnostic imaging of distal limb injuries in horses owing to its cost–effectiveness.