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Conference abstract2013

Evaluation of osteochondral sample collection guided by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for early detection of osteoarthritis in centrodistal joints of young icelandic horses

Ley, Charles; Hansson, Kerstin; Ekman, Stina; Dahlberg, Leif E.; Björnsdottir, S

Abstract

Introduction: Histologic examination with light microscopy is considered the reference standard to detect osteoarthritis (OA) in its earliest stages1, 2. In early OA, articular cartilage changes develop in focal and specific regions of the affected joint3 but the locations of these regions in specific joints and species are uncertain and are likely to vary among individuals. When osteochondral samples are collected from predetermined anatomic sites for histologic examination of joints early in the disease process, then it is possible that OA will fail to be detected because the associated lesions may not be included in the collection site. This study evaluates a method for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided osteochondral sample collection for the detection of early stage OA lesions in joints from young Icelandic horses. Materials and Methods: CT and MRI were semiquanitatively graded to evaluate the extent of suspected OA changes in right centrodistal joints from the cadavers of 24 Icelandic horses aged 29 to 31 months. The anatomic regions with the highest grade of change were identified, and osteochondral samples were obtained from these regions. Samples were also obtained from the same centrodistal joints at predetermined sites. Histologic examination of all samples was performed, with samples classified as negative or positive for OA, and results were compared between sample collection method. Results: Histologic examination revealed OA lesions in 29% (7/24) of centrodistal joints with predetermined method and in 62% (15/24) with the image-guided method. Significant associations were detected between histologic OA and the summed image-guided sample collection site image grades, central osteophytes, articular cartilage thickness abnormalities, grade-2 articular mineralisation front defects, and grade-2 marginal osteophytes. Discussion/Conclusion:An image-guided sample collection method is recommended when histologic examination will be used as the reference standard for the detection of early-stage OA in centrodistal joints of horses. CT and MRI aided the detection of focal changes suggestive of early stage OA in the centrodistal joints of equine cadavers and may be useful for detection of similar disease in live horses. The first morphological changes of centrodistal joint OA are suspected to be in the articular cartilage and the articular mineralisation front regions.

Published in

Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound
2013, Volume: 55, number: 6, pages: 1

Conference

European Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Conference