Distances between thoracic spinous processes in Warmblood foals: a radiographic study

Area of Science:

• Equine veterinary science
• Animal orthopedics
• Radiographic diagnostics

Background:

• The etiology of kissing spine syndrome (KSS), characterized by impingement or overriding of dorsal spinous processes, is not fully understood.
• Factors such as conformation, breed, age, training, and gender are implicated in KSS development.
• Previous studies in mature horses suggest interspinous spaces less than 4 mm may indicate KSS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of interspinous space narrowing in a population of healthy Warmblood foals.
• To determine if congenital narrowing of interspinous spaces is a factor in the development of KSS in young horses.

Main Methods:

• Radiographic measurements of interspinous space width were taken in 25 Warmblood foals.
• Measurements focused on the thoracic (T10-L1) region.
• Foals were aged between 9 and 88 days.

Main Results:

• The mean interspinous space width ranged from 5.9 +/- 1.2 mm to 8.9 +/- 2.6 mm.
• The narrowest spaces were observed between T16-T17, and the widest between T10-T12.
• No foals exhibited interspinous spaces less than 4 mm. Gender and location significantly influenced space width.

Conclusions:

• Based on current definitions, none of the studied foals displayed radiographic signs of KSS.
• Congenital narrowing of interspinous spaces does not appear to be a significant factor in this foal population.
• Further longitudinal studies incorporating training data are necessary to explore potential congenital contributions to KSS etiology.