Ultrasonographic imaging of a keratoma in a horse.
Authors: Seahorn, Sams, Honnas, Schmitz, McMullan
Journal: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Summary
# Keratoma Diagnosis via Ultrasonography Keratomas—benign tumours of keratin-producing tissue within the hoof—typically present as chronic, progressive lameness that can frustrate diagnostic efforts. This 1992 case report describes how ultrasonographic imaging successfully confirmed a tentative keratoma diagnosis in a lame horse, moving beyond the traditional reliance on clinical history, lameness pattern, and radiographic findings alone. The use of ultrasound allowed clinicians to visualise soft tissue abnormalities within the hoof capsule that radiographs may not adequately characterise, enabling a definitive diagnosis and facilitating definitive surgical treatment that resolved the condition. For modern practitioners, this early documentation highlights that multimodal imaging—combining radiography with ultrasound—can improve diagnostic confidence in chronic hoof lameness cases, particularly when conventional imaging findings remain ambiguous or when soft tissue involvement is suspected.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Consider ultrasonography as a complementary diagnostic tool when keratoma is suspected, particularly when radiographic findings are inconclusive
- •Ultrasonographic confirmation of keratoma can enable earlier implementation of definitive treatment, potentially improving outcomes in chronically lame horses
- •Combine ultrasonography with history and clinical findings to strengthen diagnostic confidence in suspected keratoma cases
Key Findings
- •Ultrasonography successfully confirmed diagnosis of keratoma in a horse with chronic progressive lameness
- •Ultrasonographic imaging facilitated treatment planning and resolution of the condition
- •Ultrasonography provides an alternative diagnostic approach to traditional radiographic evaluation for keratoma