Original Article

Penetrating solar wounds to the foot: benefit of MRI in treatment decisions

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Abstract

Penetrating injuries to the sole of the hoof are common in horses. Prognosis and treatment depend on the structures involved. In this report, nine horses are described with a penetrating injury to the sole of the hoof that then underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. The radiographic examination performed in seven of these horses provided information about the bone involvement and an MRI examination was performed in all cases to obtain information about the affected soft tissues. MRI has excellent soft tissue contrast and can provide detailed images in any anatomical plane. For all nine horses, the MRI examination provided a clear guidance toward prognosis and a treatment plan. For two of the horses, the MRI examination confirmed that only superficial debridement was required. In seven of the horses, the MRI findings indicated that a more invasive approach was needed, such as navicular bursoscopy or street-nail procedure. This study illustrates that an MRI examination can provide useful additional information leading to an appropriate therapy and prognosis, and shows a good correspondence between MRI observations and surgical findings.