Congenital variants of the ventral laminae of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae are not associated with clinical signs or other radiological abnormalities of the cervicothoracic region in Warmblood horses.
Authors: Dyson Sue, Phillips Kathryn, Zheng Shichen, Aleman Monica
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Congenital variants affecting the ventral outline of C7 are common radiographic findings in Warmblood horses, occurring in approximately one-quarter of the population studied, yet emerging evidence suggests they may not be clinically meaningful. Researchers at two referral centres compared radiographic findings in 127 clinically normal horses with 96 cases presenting with neurological signs, cervical pain or stiffness, or neck-related forelimb lameness, using standardised lateral and ventral-lateral radiographic projections to assess the cervicothoracic region from C5 to T2. Notably, horses with clinical cervicothoracic problems were actually *less* likely to exhibit C7 congenital variants than control horses (relative risk 0.63), and critically, no association was found between the presence of these variants and other degenerative changes at the cervical facet joints. Severe articular process modelling at C6-C7 and C7-T1 did correlate with clinical cases, but this occurred independently of any congenital variant. For practitioners interpreting cervical radiographs, these findings suggest that isolated congenital variants of the C6-C7 ventral profile should not be incriminated in cases of neck pain, stiffness or associated forelimb lameness, and their presence alone does not warrant a guarded prognosis or restrict athletic use.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Congenital variants of C7 ventral laminae should not be considered clinically significant or predictive of future problems in Warmblood horses — their presence does not correlate with neck-related lameness, pain, or neurologic signs.
- •Severe articular process modelling at C6-C7 and C7-T1 is more relevant to clinical cases than congenital ventral laminae variants; focus diagnostic attention on these degenerative changes rather than benign developmental variants.
- •When interpreting cervical radiographs in horses with neck or forelimb issues, congenital C7 variants should not influence clinical decision-making or treatment plans.
Key Findings
- •Congenital variants of C7 were present in 24.2% of horses (54/223) but occurred significantly less frequently in clinical cases than control horses (RR: 0.63, p=0.0002).
- •No association was found between congenital variants of C7 and articular process modelling at C6-C7, C7-T1, or T1-T2.
- •Cases were more likely to have severe articular process modelling at C6-C7 (RR: 1.94, p=0.01) and C7-T1 (RR: 1.97, p=0.04) compared to controls, independent of congenital variants.
- •Congenital variants of C6 and C7 are not associated with clinical signs or other radiological abnormalities in the cervicothoracic region.