The anterograde tarsal venography enhances vessel visualization compared to the retrograde approach in horses.

Distal venous access provides superior vessel visualization for equine tarsal venography.

This comparative study evaluated two venographic approaches for visualizing the tarsal vasculature in horses: proximal venous access via the ramus cranialis of the vena saphena medialis and distal venous access via the vena digitalis dorsalis communis II. Seven horses underwent bilateral hind limb venography with contrast injection (Ioversol 68%) and sequential radiographic imaging. The tarsal region was systematically divided into three zones for quantitative vessel assessment. The distal venous access group demonstrated significantly superior vessel visualization (P < 0.0001) across all radiographic projections compared to the proximal approach. Notably, substantial differences were observed in the tarsometatarsal and proximal intertarsal joint regions. The enhanced vascular filling achieved through distal access provides superior diagnostic capability for tarsal pathology evaluation and improved technical efficacy for regional limb perfusion procedures in equine patients.

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