Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Feature of Severe Chronic Fetlock Injury in a Horse

A German warmblood horse with severe soft tissue swelling of the fetlock joint showed a minimal weight-bearing during the motion and at rest and presented with pain on palpation. Ultrasonography was used to evaluate soft tissue including tendons and ligaments, but the assessment by sonogram was unproductive due to poor skin contact and severe acoustic attenuation. On low-field MRI, severe multiple chronic tendinopathy, desmopathy and sesamoiditis with skin thickening of affected extremity was evidently apparent. In this case, most of the major lesions including tendon, ligament, and connective tissues were successfully evaluated using low-field MRI, while the sonographic examination is not possible due to the extensive skin problems. Low-field MRI was performed for more reliable imaging modality to examine equine fetlock joint with severe chronic lesions.