Any equine veterinarians or breeders are likely to want as good an understanding as possible to spot any potential conditions or diseases that could affect their horses throughout their lifetimes. There are a number of techniques that help to increase our current knowledge of veterinary-related ailments and as has been previously discussed on our website, veterinary ultrasound is one such way in which to do this.

A study published by Janvier V et al., carried out a study which examined the condition of lymphoma. Briefly, lymphoma affects the immune system with immune cells such as lymphocyte-type cells being found in tumour-like manifestations in particular areas of the body (mediLexicon), and a greater understanding of this equine condition would be greatly beneficial. This paper ‘Ultrasonographic findings in 13 horses with lymphoma’, Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound, 12th October 2015, Epub ahead of print, used ultrasound imaging along with radiography to examine particular aspects in horses with lymphoma, retrospectively. The abstract of the paper is used as a basis for the following, you can access the link to the full text by clicking here.

The results of this study revealed a number of findings, some of which are mentioned here. Out of the 13 horses looked at lymphadenopathy was the most recognised with 8 out of 13 horses exhibiting this, whilst lesions in the spleen and the hepatic, thoracic and digestive tract regions were also observed. Lesions presented themselves in a particular way in relation to ultrasound, with hypoechoic nodules (reduced echoes relative to what is considered ‘normal’ when carrying out ultrasonography [mediLexicon]), and differences in echogenicity. These results demonstrate the importance of ultrasound-imaging in being able to identify physiological changes that may be indicative of a more serious and underlying condition.

In addition, an increase in the size of specific lymph nodes was also observed in some areas using these techniques, providing practitioners with another method by which to help in the diagnosis of lymphoma. In sum, this study reveals a use for ultrasound imaging in specific body regions as an aid in the defining of equine lymphoma. For more information on all products we sell that are specifically suited for the equine market, please click here.