Microstructural Alterations and Navicular Bone Degeneration

Researchers hope to more fully characterize alterations at the microscopic level in diseased navicular bones.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Veterinarians examine navicular disease cases using lameness exams and various imaging methods, but key to understanding this common debilitating disease and pinpointing treatment is knowing what’s going on at the microscopic level. Recently, a team of researchers evaluated microstructural changes in diseased navicular bone as compared to healthy navicular bones.

Stacie Aarsvold, BS, a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, presented the results of the study at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas.

"Navicular bone pathology (disease) is an important component of foot lameness in horses," Aarsvold said, adding that there are a number of common clinical radiographic findings related to the navicular bone including:

  • Enlarged synovial invaginations ("holes" in the navicular bone that fill with synovial fluid—that fluid which is found in joints);
  • Bone fragmentation;
  • Enthesophytosis (small bone spurs that occur off the edges of the navicular bone);
  • Flexor cortical lysis (decomposition of the surface of the normal outer tubular layer bone—the cortical bone— in contact with the deep digital flexor tendon); and
  • Medullary sclerosis (increased density in the bone’s medullary canal–the marrow cavity).

"However, the pathogenesis and interrelationships of these changes remain poorly understood," Aarsvold noted. "The primary objective of this study was to more fully characterize alterations in microstructure of severely diseased navicular bones

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
276 votes · 276 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!