When pain is localized to the foot but no abnormalties can be seen on radiographs (often called X rays), problems in soft tissues within the foot are often the culprit. However, imaging soft tissues in the foot to arrive at a diagnosis can be challenging, especially when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not available or financially feasible. At the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md., one veterinarian discussed the use of ultrasound as a lower-cost option for imaging soft tissue problems in the hoof.

Denis Verwilghen, DVM, MSc, DES, Dipl. ECVS, specialist in equine and large animal surgery at the University of Liège in Belgium, discussed findings in 39 horses with this presentation, reporting that veterinarians using ultrasound examination were able to identify specific soft tissue problems in all cases. The most common issues were deep digital flexor tendon lesions (30 horses), followed by abnormalities in the coffin joint and associated ligaments (27 horses), and distension of the navicular bursa (22 horses)