Transmural Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Horse Hoof Internal Structures: Comparative Qualitative Findings-Part 1.
Authors: Castro-Mesa Andrés Felipe, Resende Faleiros Rafael, Martínez-Aranzales José Ramón
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Transmural ultrasonography—scanning through a water-filled or ice-water-filled hoof—enables detailed visualisation of previously inaccessible internal structures including the lamellar zone, sublamellar dermis, and distal phalanx, addressing a significant limitation of conventional hoof ultrasound approaches. Castro-Mesa and colleagues tested this technique on 62 hooves across two phases: thirty anatomical specimens and thirty-two live horses, with half of each cohort submerged in water alone and half in ice water for 24 hours, taking ultrasound images every two hours alongside environmental measurements and sagittal section comparisons. Both submersion protocols consistently produced good-quality images capable of resolving the tubular and lamellar strata, dermal tissues, and bony landmarks—structures that remain poorly visualised with standard transducer placement. Practitioners investigating suspected laminitis or other lamellar pathology may find this technique particularly valuable for early diagnosis and monitoring, though the authors appropriately highlight that clinical validation in naturally occurring disease cases remains necessary before widespread adoption. The work establishes transmural scanning as a viable complementary imaging strategy for internal hoof assessment, potentially closing an important diagnostic gap in equine lameness investigation.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Transmural ultrasound offers a novel diagnostic window for assessing internal hoof structures, particularly the lamellar layer, which may improve early detection and monitoring of laminitis
- •Simple preparation (hoof submersion in water or water-ice for 24 hours) appears sufficient to obtain diagnostic images, making this technique potentially practical for clinical use
- •Further validation in laminitis cases is needed before this technique can be recommended as a standard diagnostic tool in routine lameness evaluation
Key Findings
- •Transmural ultrasonography following hoof submersion in water or water-ice produced good quality images in both anatomical specimens (n=30) and living horses (n=32)
- •The technique successfully visualized the lamellar layer, distal phalanx structures, and dermal papillae that cannot be adequately assessed with traditional hoof ultrasound approaches
- •Water and ice submersion protocols did not significantly impact image quality, suggesting flexibility in preparation methodology
- •The transmural approach enables detailed evaluation of structures relevant to laminitis diagnosis, though clinical validation in natural or experimental disease cases remains necessary