Digitale x-raying

The clinic has a stationary and a mobile digital x-ray apparatus at its disposal. Therefore we are able to x-ray your horse at our clinic or at your home stable. Of course you can request the radiographs taken of your horse and we will send them to you by e-mail.

Ultrasound

Examinations with the help of ultrasound can be given at our clinic or at your home stable.

Scintigraphy

Scintigraphy is an imaging technique used to show, among other things, inflammatory lesions in the skeleton. For this purpose, a radioactively labeled substance is injected into the horse’s bloodstream, which is incorporated into the bone substance as a result of bone metabolism and whose decay can be visualized after approx. 2-3 hours using a gamma camera.

The examination is performed on a standing, sedated horse. For reasons of radiation protection, the horse is hospitalized in our clinic for approx. 3 days. Whole or partial body scintigraphies can be performed. 

Fields of application of scintigraphy are for example:

• Regions of the skeleton that are difficult or impossible to visualize radiographically, e.g. hip, pelvis or thigh
• Joint diseases that are not (yet) visible on X-ray
• High-grade lameness with suspected fissure or fracture that cannot (yet) be visualized on X-ray
• Patients in whom it is not possible to perform diagnostic anesthesia
• for the visualization of circulatory disorders by means of flow scintigraphy, e.g. in laminitis
• for rideability problems (presentation of the topline)
• Ligament or tendon attachment diseases
• Clarification of dental root diseases

How does a scintigraphy run?

The examination is given to the standing, sedated horse. For reasons of protection against radioacitivity your horse will have to stay at our clinic for approximately three days. As a rule you will bring your horse the day before the scintigraphy will take place. After your horse has settled, it will be examined in detail. Before injecting the radioactice substance, we will move your horse (if possible), for that the substance will spread best possible around the body of the horse.

For reasons of protection against radioacitivity your horse will be sedated. Moreover, it should not be afraid of the big camera and should not move, so that the pictures taken are sharp.

Depending on the amount of regions of the body which have to be scintigraphed, the procedure will have a duration of one to three hours. After the scintigraphy is completed your horse will still be radioactive for up to 48 hours. Over this period of time you are unfortunately not allowed to visit your horse for your own safety.

After evaluating the images, our veterinarians will discuss the findings and the following therapy with you in detail.