Coffin Bone Loss, Remodeling Associated with Laminitis

Recently, scientists have discovered that osteolysis (dissolving of bone) of the distal phalanx (coffin bone) is an early sign of laminitis development.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

High on many equine researchers' wishlists is finding a way to identify signs of impending laminitis sooner, allowing them to begin treatment earlier and hopefully provide a better prognosis for affected horses. Laminitis is a devastating hoof disease in which the interlocking leaflike tissues called laminae anchoring the distal phalanx (DP, or coffin bone) within the hoof become inflamed and fail to support the bone.

Recently, scientists have discovered that osteolysis (dissolving of bone) of the DP is an early sign of laminitis development. To better identify and characterize this process, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) researchers evaluated DP disease using micro-computed tomography (microCT). Julie Engiles, VMD, Dipl. ACVP, assistant professor of pathology at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center, presented their results at the 2013 American Association of Equine Practitioners' Convention, held Dec. 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn.

In the study, Engiles and colleagues assessed parasagittal (vertical) bone slices from 36 feet (26 front feet and 10 hind feet), collected in a database established by Hannah Galantino-Homer, VMD, PhD, senior research investigator on laminitis at New Bolton Center, from 15 horses with and without clinical signs or history of laminitis. They evaluated the feet for bone loss using microCT, which can provide detailed information about subtle changes in bone microarchitecture. Engiles said her team's microCT scans provided quantitative measurements indicating bone volume, bone density, and bone mineral density, among others, which they correlated with laminitis severity based on radiographic, gross, and histopathologic changes identified within an adjacent parasagittal slice from each foot

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:

Alexandra Beckstett, a native of Houston, Texas, is a lifelong horse owner who has shown successfully on the national hunter/jumper circuit and dabbled in hunter breeding. After graduating from Duke University, she joined Blood-Horse Publications as assistant editor of its book division, Eclipse Press, before joining The Horse. She was the managing editor of The Horse for nearly 14 years and is now editorial director of EquiManagement and My New Horse, sister publications of The Horse.

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?
296 votes · 296 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!