IMAGES FROM THE 2001 ACVR CERTIFYING EXAMINATION: LARGE ANIMAL ELECTIVE

George Henry, DVM* Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, Vol. 43, No. 2, 2002, p p 197-199.

Example 1

History and Signalment:

5-month-old Quarter Horse, female. Respiratory distress was present for three days. Severity

of distress is increasing. The foal is recumbent and was too weak to walk at the time of the radiographs. Vertical-beam thoracic radiographs were made (Fig. 1).

Radiographic findings:

A successful candidate should note that the intrathoracic trachea is elevated in a dorsal direction by an enlarged heart. The heart enlargement would be described as generalized. Intense non-uniform unstructured interstitial opacity is ob- served, especially in the perihilar area. The pulmonary ves- sels and caudal vena cava are enlarged.

Radiographic diagnosis:

The radiographic findings support cardiac disease with pulmonary edema (left heart failure). Differentials include congenital anomaly (complex anomaly, VSD, valvular de- fects) and/or myocardial disease. The enlarged caudal vena cava suggests possible right heart failure.

An echocardiogram would be indicated for further evalu- ation of the cardiac changes.

Example 2

History and Signalment:

2-year-old Mixed breed horse, gelding. According to the owner, the horse sprained the left tarsus

one year ago when getting out of a trailer. Both tarsal joints develop effusion when horse is worked. Horse is 315 lame in left rear and not lame in right rear. However, right rear tarsus has some effusion. Lateral (Fig. 2A), dorsoplantar (Fig. 2B), dorsolateral-plantaromedial (Fig. 2C) and dorso- medial-plantarolateral (Fig. 2D) radiographs of the left tar-

*Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX. Reprints not available.

sus were acquired. A lateral radiograph of the right tarsus (Fig. 3) was obtained for comparative purposes.

Radiographic findings:

Left tarsus: The candidate should observe and describe moderate peri- articular osteophytosis and bony proliferation at the proxi- mal and distal intertarsal joints. The distal intertarsal joint is narrowedkollapsed. Subchondral lysis and sclerosis of the talocalcaneal joint is also observed. Mild penarticular 0s- teophytosis is observed at the tarsometatarsal joint.

FIG. 1

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198 HENRY 2002

FIG. 2.

VOL. 43, No. 2 ACVR EXAMINATION IMAGES: LARGE ANIMAL ELECTIVE

Right tarsus: Mild periarticular osteophytosis of the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints is observed. An osseous fragment is adjacent to the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia.

Radiographic diagnosis:

The radiographic signs indicate degenerative joint disease of the left talocalcaneal, proximal intertarsal, distal intertar- sal and tarsometatarsal joints. In the right tarsus degenera- tive joint disease of the right distal intertarsal and tarsometa- tarsal joints is present. The mineral fragment associated with the distal intermediate ridge of the right tibia indicates an osteochondrosis lesion.

FIG. 3.