CORRELATION BETWEEN MORPHOMETRIC ASPECTS AND TENO-DESMIC LESIONS DETECTED BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING EXAMINATION IN THE EQUINE FOOT

In the evaluation of equine foot radiography clinicians often do not evaluate the morphometric aspect of the foot but focus their attention only on radiographic abnormalities that in most cases reflect cronic pathology. On the basis of biomechanical studies on the forces acting on different structures of the foot, we hypothesized that would be a correlation between foot conformation and incidence/presence of foot lesions. Seventy-four foot of lame horses were examined: 20 parameters were measured on radiographic views and MRI signal intensity, homogeneity and size of each structure was evaluated. Collected data were used for statistical purpose using simple linear correlation analysis and CART analysis. Simple linear correlation highlighted the presence of relationship between some morphometric aspects and presence of lesions involving specific structures. Correlation trees explained the partecipation of different radiographic measurements in the development of lesion. CART could be employed during a clinical evaluation of lame horses in order to establish which structure had the major probability to be involved and how to assess proper corrective trimming/shoeing. In non-lame horses the “CART approach” could have a prognostic value and could help both veterinarians and farriers in the management of foot in order to prevent the development of pathological disorders. In the current study a relationship between radiographic morphometric aspect of the equine foot and the presence of bony and teno-legamentous was observed.