Standing computed tomographic tenography is reliable in identifying soft tissue lesions within the digital flexor tendon sheath in horses.

Standing CTT reliably detects DFTS lesions, especially DDFT and MF pathology, when ultrasonography is inconclusive.

This retrospective observational study evaluated standing computed tomographic tenography (CTT) as a diagnostic tool for detecting soft tissue lesions within the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) in horses. Twenty-four client-owned horses with inconclusive ultrasonographic and contrast tenographic findings underwent DFTS anesthesia, CTT imaging, and tenoscopy. Two blinded radiologists evaluated CTT images and compared findings to tenoscopy results as the reference standard. CTT demonstrated high overall diagnostic performance with 93% sensitivity and specificity for intrathecal lesion detection. Performance varied by anatomical structure: deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions showed 100% sensitivity and 83% specificity; manica flexoria (MF) showed 90% sensitivity and 93% specificity; superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) showed 71% sensitivity and 94% specificity; and palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) showed 64% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The study concludes that CTT is a valuable advanced imaging modality for DFTS evaluation, particularly when conventional imaging techniques fail to provide definitive diagnosis, with superior performance for DDFT and MF pathology.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.