Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Horses With Recent and Chronic Bilateral Forelimb Lameness Diagnosed as Navicular Syndrome

摘要

High field strength MRI is an effective method for diagnosing injury to structures within the feet of horses with navicular syndrome. The prevalence of different pathologies was determined in 151 horses with normal radiographs but clinical signs of bilateral navicular syndrome. Navicular syndrome is one of the most common causes of forelimb lameness in many types of athletic horses. Before magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), definitive diagnosis of pathologic change within the horse's foot was determined only at postmortem examination. Radiography continues to be the first diagnostic imaging step used to try to define pathology associated with navicular syndrome, but it has become more apparent with the availability of MRI that radiography is inadequate in this region both for diagnosis of bone and soft-tissue pathologies.