The Equine Upper Airways: Accuracy of Diagnostic Imaging for Treatment Decision and Planning!

n equine upper respiratory lesions, to obtain the accurate localization, diagnosis and precise depiction of the extent seems essential for correct treatment decision and planning. For a long time the mainstay in diagnostic imaging has been radiography. Radiography has been reported to be 81% sensitive in sinonasal diseases, but was diagnostically useful in only 36 %. Even endoscopy contributed to the exact diagnosis only in 20% although it revealed changes in 91% of the affected cases in one study. Sinoscopy is a more invasive method but was diagnostic in 70% of the cases in which it was performed. With the introduction of cross-sectional imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), depiction of the anatomical details has been improved greatly. CT has been proven to improve understanding of the extent and severity of disease processes. In dental disease, the identification of the affected tooth became more precise. In contrast to CT up until now only normal MRT anatomy of the equine sinuses have been studied, but the diagnostic accuracy in diseases has not been described in literature yet.  […]