The use of advanced imaging - both CT and PET scanning - has added a whole new level of 'smarts' to equine care and is helping to make us all much better veterinarians!
Case in point - you've heard the common term cannon bone or fetlock "bone bruising" that has sidelined many a racehorse. It is a frustrating and painful condition related to the way bone remodels in response to applied stress (i.e. training) - the cannon bones are a common site for this issue and it can lead to debilitating chronic lameness, attrition, and in some cases a condylar fracture. Besides prolonged rest, treatment options have been few and the incidence of recurrence is high, especially as a horse ages out in its racing career.
In trying to find answers to this problem, we have been applying targeted compression screws (using the imaging information that CT can provide) to chronic, recurrent cases to encourage this bruised/sclerotic bone to mobilize and 'shore itself up'. This approach, combined with rest, seems to help these recurring cases and the results have been encouraging.
This TB colt struggled with chronic "bone-bruising" issues in both hind ankles, yet he was very talented and still had room for a promising career. Using CT imaging to clearly map the pathology, we placed precise compression screws in both hind ankles this Fall.
After proper time off he successfully returned to his winning ways in February and then this past weekend, impressively stepped up and won a very competitive Stakes race 🏆 - nice to see science in action...💪