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Association between navicular bone fragmentation and shape in Belgian Warmblood horses
S Claerhoudt1, F Pille, K Vanderperren
1Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Merelbeke, Belgium. jimmy.saunders@ugent.be
Objectives:
To investigate whether in navicular bones (NB) from warmbloods, distal border fragmentation is associated with the shape of the proximal articular border or other radiological findings.
Methods:
Radiographs of the front feet of 325 normal, subadult horses presented for admission as breeding stallions were reviewed.
Results:
The proximal articular border of the total of 650 NB was classified as straight (n = 278), convex (n = 184), undulating (n = 147) or concave (n = 41). Distal border fragments were present in 57 NB (8.8%). They were significantly more prevalent in NB with a concave (9/41; 22%) or undulating (19/147; 13%) proximal articular border compared to NB with a straight (17/278; 6%) or convex shape (12/184; 7%). No other significant associations were found.
Clinical Significance:
Hypothetically, since a shape-fragment association was found and the distribution of biomechanical forces exerted on the navicular bone are assumed to be shape dependent, distal border fragments may be a result of unfavourable loading of the navicular region.
