Huthmann Stefanie, Staszyk Carsten, Jacob Hans-Georg, Rohn Karl, Gasse Hagen
Institute of Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine-Hannover, Germany.
J Vet Dent. 2009 Winter;26(4):216-8. doi: 10.1177/089875640902600408.
The Curve of Spee is well known, yet hardly understood in the horse, as there is a striking lack of biometrically related data which could help to explain its biomechanical significance. Older horses display drastic alterations of the Curve of Spee in routine clinical examinations. Since the Curve of Spee is known to be biomechanically related to the masticatory forces in humans, the same may apply to the equine, and masticatory deficits can be expected in the geriatric horse. Quantitative data of the Curve of Spee cannot be obtained directly by means of measurements in the horse's long and narrow oral cavity. Instead, the radiographs of 24 heads and 6 skulls of horses of different age were used to develop a geometrical procedure facilitating a quantitative analysis of the height of the Curve of Spee. The geometrical values gave clear evidence that the height of the Curve of Spee was smaller in groups of older horses compared with those of younger horses. This finding was in accordance with biomechanical studies which reported decreased masticatory forces in older horses.
斯皮曲线广为人知，但在马身上却鲜为人理解，因为严重缺乏有助于解释其生物力学意义的生物测量相关数据。在常规临床检查中，老龄马的斯皮曲线会出现剧烈变化。由于已知斯皮曲线在生物力学上与人类的咀嚼力相关，这一点在马身上可能同样适用，因此老龄马可能会出现咀嚼功能缺陷。无法通过在马狭长的口腔内直接测量来获取斯皮曲线的定量数据。相反，利用24匹马的头部和6匹马的颅骨的X光片，开发了一种几何方法，以促进对斯皮曲线高度的定量分析。几何测量值清楚地表明，老龄马组的斯皮曲线高度比年轻马组的小。这一发现与报道老龄马咀嚼力下降的生物力学研究结果一致。
