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Nuclear Scintigraphy: Lameness is the number one reason that a horse's useful athletic potential is never realized. The biggest challenge in the diagnosis of the causes of equine lameness is access to diagnostic technology. At the University of Wisconsin, we use nuclear scintigraphy to noninvasively locate deep sites of skeletal inflammation.
Scintigraphy uses a radioisotope injected into the blood that is preferentially taken up by areas of bone inflammation; as a result, it can actually indicate metabolism in an area of bone. Scintigraphy is also valuable in the diagnosis of bone inflammation when there is no radiographic signs of abnormalities. The inflamed area shows up as an obvious area of increased radioactive uptake.
Shockwave therapy for the treatment of lameness.
| This horse has scintographic evidence of a dramatic increase in inflammation in the Navicular bone. |
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Once scintigraphy had isolated the cause for the lameness to the Navicular bone, radiographs provided more detail on the extent of the problem. |
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Scintigraphy is valuable in other areas of the body as well. This horse has an infected tooth. Scintigraphy was very valuable in determining which tooth was affected. |
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