Ultrasound isn’t just for prenatal examinations anymore. In the veterinary community in the past year, emphasis has been placed on ultrasound diagnosis of injuries, and this has been reflected in seminars all over the world. More than 20 practitioners from the Italy, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and the United States converged on Goustranville, France, Nov. 3-5, 2000, to learn state-of-the-art practice in ultrasound diagnosis of joint injuries in the horse. The veterinarians had a special opportunity to explore the new facilities of the Centre d’Imagerie et de Recherche sur les Affections Locomotrices Equines (CIRALE) with world-renowned biomechanics specialist Jean-Marie Denoix, DVM, PhD, and observe several days of clinical cases following the seminar. Denoix is head of CIRALE, which is part of the veterinary school at Alfort.

“Radiographs have been the gold standard for joint diagnosis,” said Gayle Trotter, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, of Colorado State University, a conference attendee. “A lot of soft tissue problems go with joint disorders, and I can see where ultrasound complements diagnosis. Dr. Denoix’ preparations are brilliant, as are his anatomical specimens for teaching,” he added.

Denoix is a professor of equine anatomy and specialist in equine biomechanics at the National Veterinary College at Alfort, France. He is known for the superb anatomical images and slides that he has created over the years. Practitioners and students delight in obtaining hands-on experience in identifying normal and abnormal joint structures under his supervision.

Nicholas De Mitri, DVM, of Sigtuna, Sweden, explained the frustration of treating joint injuries. Ultrasound diagnosis makes an injury clearer and more visible to the client, so a vague diagnosis won’t encourage the owner to put the horse back into work too early. “If it’s diagnosed simply as a lameness, the owner doesn’t want to rest the horse for six months,” said De Mitri