Oliver L J, Baird D K, Baird A N, Moore G E
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
N Z Vet J. 2008 Oct;56(5):202-9. doi: 10.1080/00480169.2008.36834.
To characterise the prevalence and distribution of radiographic changes in the hocks and stifles of Thoroughbred yearling colts and fillies in New Zealand and compare them with other populations of young horses.
Repository radiographs taken in New Zealand for the 2003-2006 Thoroughbred national yearling sales were evaluated by two individual readers. The distribution of radiographic changes was classified as left side only, right side only, or bilateral. Lesions were categorised by type, location, and sex of the yearling. Complete sets of hock and stifle radiographs of 1,505 yearlings were evaluated.
Osteophytes or enthesophytes were seen radiographically in the distal tarsal joints of 460/1,505 (31%) horses. Osteochondrosis was seen in the tibiotarsal joint of 66/1,505 (4%) horses, and in the femoropatellar joint of 40/1,505 (3%) horses. Radiographic lucency in the distal or axial aspect of the medial femoral condyle was seen in 247/1,505 (16%) horses, and lucencies consistent with subchondral cyst-like lesions were seen in 26/1,505 (2%) horses. No significant difference was seen in the proportion of colts and fillies with radiographic changes in the hock or stifle. The prevalence of osteochondrosis and subchondral cyst-like lesions in the stifles of the yearlings examined were similar to those reported in Thoroughbred yearling sale horses in the United States of America (USA). The prevalence of changes in the distal tarsal joints was similar to those reported in Standardbred and Thoroughbred yearlings from Scandinavia and the USA.
There was no significant difference in the prevalence of osteochondrosis in the hock and stifle, lucencies in the distal medial femoral condyle, or radiographic changes in the distal tarsal joints between colts and fillies.
Establishment of the normal prevalence and distribution of radiographic changes in the hocks and stifles of Thoroughbred yearlings in New Zealand will allow comparison with populations of young horses in other countries. Knowledge of the normal prevalence will assist veterinarians to identify abnormally high or low prevalences on individual farms, to further investigate the pathogenesis of the lesions.
描述新西兰纯种一岁马驹跗关节和膝关节X线变化的患病率及分布情况，并与其他年轻马群体进行比较。
两名独立阅片者对2003 - 2006年新西兰纯种一岁马全国拍卖会的存档X线片进行评估。X线变化的分布分为仅左侧、仅右侧或双侧。病变按一岁马的类型、位置和性别进行分类。对1505匹一岁马的完整跗关节和膝关节X线片进行了评估。
在1505匹马中，有460匹（31%）的跗关节远端可见骨赘或附着点骨赘。66匹（4%）马的胫跗关节和40匹（3%）马的股髌关节可见骨软骨病。1505匹马中有247匹（16%）在股骨内侧髁远端或轴位可见X线透亮区，26匹（2%）可见与软骨下囊肿样病变一致的透亮区。公马和母马在跗关节或膝关节出现X线变化的比例没有显著差异。所检查一岁马膝关节的骨软骨病和软骨下囊肿样病变的患病率与美国纯种一岁拍卖马的报告相似。跗关节远端变化的患病率与斯堪的纳维亚和美国的标准赛马及纯种一岁马的报告相似。
公马和母马在跗关节和膝关节的骨软骨病患病率、股骨内侧髁远端透亮区或跗关节远端的X线变化方面没有显著差异。
确定新西兰纯种一岁马跗关节和膝关节X线变化的正常患病率及分布情况，将有助于与其他国家的年轻马群体进行比较。了解正常患病率将有助于兽医识别个别农场异常高或低的患病率，以进一步研究病变的发病机制。
