CT is a feasible imaging technique for detecting lesions in horses with elbow lameness: A study of 139 elbows in 99 horses

Computed tomography (CT)is increasingly available in veterinary referral practices; however, published studies describing CT lesions of the equine elbow are currently lacking. In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, horses undergoing elbow CT at Equitom between July 2015 and October 2018 were reviewed. Subchondral bone sclerosis; resorption of the radius, ulna, and humerus; osteophyte; and enthesophyte lesions were graded. One hundred thirty-nine elbows of 99 horses (16 with elbow pain and 123 control elbows) were included (median age, 9 years). Osseous cyst-like lesions (n = 13), only seen in the proximomedial radius and medial humerus, were the most common cause of lameness in horses with elbow pain (n = 16), with significantly higher grades of bone resorption (including osseous cyst-like lesions) in this group. One elbow had an avulsion fracture of the lateral epicondyle, two others showed signs of osteoarthritis. Significantly higher grades of sclerosis in the proximomedial radius were seen in horses with elbow pain; however, mild to moderate subchondral bone sclerosis was seen in all horses at the medial aspect of the joint. Osteochondral fragmentation lesions of the weight-bearing surface of the medial radius (2/16 vs 1/123; P = .0025) and intra-articular gas (4/16 vs 2/123; P < .0001) were significantly more common in horses with elbow pain compared to control horses. Mild linear resorptive subchondral bone lesions were often not clinically relevant (32/123 vs 5/16 in medial humerus; 19/123 vs 2/16 in medial radius). In conclusion, elbow CT is a feasible method for detecting clinically relevant lesions in adult Warmblood horses with elbow pain.