BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Measurement of sole thickness and distance to distal phalanx using a portable ultrasound machine

摘要

Using a high specification ultrasound machine, with the ultrasound transducer applied to the sole surface, Kofler et al. (1999) were able to estimate sole and soft tissue thickness in claws from bovine cadavers. These ultrasound estimates were significantly correlated with measurements, made using mechanical callipers, of the same parameters in claws after sectioning. Moreover, Kofler et al. (1999) demonstrated that it was possible to image the internal structures of the bovine claw in the live animal and also reported the use of a portable ultrasound. They did however state that the images were of lower quality, due to the poorer resolution Of the transducer, and were more difficult to obtain. In contrast, van Amstel et al. (2003, 2004a, 2004b) were able to visualise the sole and corium using a portable ultrasound, but did not assess the accuracy of the measurements in cadaver claws. As a consequence, this paper aims to assess bovine claws collected from cattle post mortem, to measure claw sole thickness and distance to distal phalanx using a portable ultrasound machine and to compare these with measurement collected using electronic callipers following sectioning of the frozen claws, such that changes in sole thickness could be assessed in future longitudinal studies with lactating dairy heifers.