Ultrasound Morphometry and Mean Echogenicity of Digital Flexor Tendons, Suspensory Ligament, and Accessory Ligament of Digital Deep Flexor Tendon in Gaited Horses.
Authors: Schade Jackson, de Souza Anderson Fernando, Vincensi Lorenzo Costa, Müller Thiago Rinaldi, Fonteque Joandes Henrique
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Understanding breed-specific ultrasonographic reference values is essential for accurately interpreting tendon and ligament pathology in clinical practice, yet such data remain sparse for gaited horse breeds commonly used for long-distance and endurance work. Researchers obtained standardised transverse ultrasound images of the digital flexor tendons, suspensory ligaments, and accessory ligaments of the digital deep flexor tendon across six metacarpal and metatarsal zones in 50 healthy adult Mangalarga Marchador and Campeiro horses, measuring transverse cross-sectional area, circumference, dorsopalmar/plantar and lateromedial dimensions, and mean echogenicity in each zone. Campeiro horses demonstrated a consistent trend towards larger measurements across most structures and limb regions compared to their Mangalarga Marchador counterparts, and critically, the morphometric characteristics differed significantly between fore- and hindlimbs regardless of breed. These findings underscore that clinicians cannot apply standardised reference ranges universally across gaited breeds or assume forelimb values are appropriate for hindlimb assessment, necessitating breed- and region-specific diagnostic criteria to distinguish physiological variation from genuine pathological change in these high-performing animals.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Establish breed-specific ultrasound reference values for your gaited horse population (MM vs Campeiro) rather than using generic equine standards—normal measurements differ significantly between breeds
- •Use separate normal reference ranges for forelimb and hindlimb structures when evaluating digital flexor tendons and ligaments sonographically
- •Account for breed factor when assessing tendon and ligament health in gaited horses; larger baseline measurements in some breeds do not indicate pathology
Key Findings
- •Significant morphometric differences observed between Mangalarga Marchador and Campeiro breeds in both forelimbs and hindlimbs
- •Campeiro breed tended to have higher values for most ultrasonographic variables despite not all differences reaching statistical significance
- •Distinct variations in dimensions and echogenicity patterns exist between metacarpal and metatarsal regions, establishing need for breed and limb-specific reference values
- •Digital flexor tendons and ligaments demonstrate different morphological characteristics between forelimbs and hindlimbs, requiring separate diagnostic criteria