Computed Radiography Helps Equine Athletes Race Another Day

Heading into the VISA Triple Crown Challenge - Thoroughbred racing’s best-known series - Proud Citizen was a favored contender. But after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and third at the Preakness Stakes, the three-year-old stallion’s inability to kick in for the stretch at Belmont, a disappointing fifth-place finish and a subtle post-race limp left his handlers concerned about a potential undiagnosed injury.

So, following the race, Proud Citizen was taken by ambulance from the finish line to his stable. There, veterinarian Stephen Selway, DVM, used a high-tech digital imaging device, the Smart CR? computed radiography system from FUJIFILM Medical Systems, to examine the horse. He discovered a fracture almost three inches long in Proud Citizen’s cannonbone (shin), about two inches below the knee. According to Selway, an equine surgeon with clinics in Elmont and Hallandale, Fla., cannonbone fractures are common injuries for racehorses.

"However, because of the extreme density of the bone, these kinds of stress-induced injuries are particularly difficult to image using conventional X-ray," said Selway. "Had this fracture gone undetected, and the horse not allowed a period of rest and recovery before he returned to training, he could have had a serious breakdown on the track."

Selway performed surgery to stabilize the fracture and believes Proud Citizen will likely race again.

FUJIFILM computed radiography (FCR®), which brings the power of digital technology to the acquisition, processing, display and management of radiographic images, has set a new standard for diagnostic technology in human medicine. In the last few years, the technology has also gained a following among the elite racing community, including large-animal veterinarians as well as trainers, owners, racetrack operators and jockeys.

Another long-time user of FCR is Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY. This facility uses the FCR 5000R for both orthopedic applications and soft-tissue imaging, such as chest exams.

"In our clinic, computed radiography is used routinely for diagnosis of orthopedic injury in horses," said William Rood, DVM, a founder of the hospital. "The greatest advantage of FCR over conventional radiography is in the diagnosis of stress remodeling and stress fractures prior to catastrophic injury."

According to Rood, early detection of these injuries is an issue of both equine and human safety. "A complete break during a race can jeopardize not only the injured horse, but also its jockey and the other horses and jockeys racing with it. Our patients and clients benefit from FCR on a daily basis."

Veterinarians at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, Florida, have found that FCR’s superb image quality, ease of use, and speed of processing have made it an indispensable addition to their array of diagnostic tools.

For example, digital radiography is critical for pre-purchase examinations, where subtle but significant radiographic changes may not be evident on plain films. Performance horses, such as dressage horses, hunter/jumpers, polo ponies, and race horses are purchased based on their ability to compete in a desired discipline. FCR allows for detection of potentially career-limiting abnormalities before a horse shows evidence of lameness.

FCR is also beneficial for use in maintenance of soundness in the performance horse. Combining digital radiography with the diagnostic power of other imaging modalities such as nuclear scintigraphy and ultrasonography allows for rapid and accurate lameness diagnosis. If a subtle lameness can be diagnosed and treated early in its development, performance will be enhanced, and further damage will be minimized.

Selway says that, in the relatively short time his clinic has been using FCR, he and his colleagues have seen more than 50 cases of potentially catastrophic injuries that would have been undetectable by traditional radiography.

"By finding these pathologies and treating them early, not only are we saving horses and jockeys from serious, even fatal injury," says Selway. "We’re also protecting and enhancing the image of horse racing itself."

For more information visit www.fujimed.com