Source:  News Release

 

 

Meeting of top veterinarians concludes: standing MRI has best potential for screening racehorses for condylar fracture risk

Saratoga Springs, NY — A meeting held August 7, 2011 amongst leading equine veterinarians concluded that the MRI unit that offers a standing-and-sedated option is “crucial” to the racehorse application. The consensus was that standing MRI is clearly already valuable as a clinical tool to aid diagnosis and case management, and it offers experienced veterinarians a unique tool to aid clinical and training decisions via serial examinations on the same horse. As a routine screening tool, the group said it had the “best potential” to screen racehorses at risk for condylar fracture, the leading cause of fatal breakdowns on the track. The meeting, hosted by Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging, was convened to discuss the potential for standing MRI to reduce the risk of catastrophic fracture on the racetrack or in training. With over 90% of fatal injuries relating to the distal metacarpal area, having an affordable, accurate and repeatable (by virtue of not requiring anesthesia) screening tool is a significant development for racing safety.

Presenter Dr. Sarah Powell MRCVS, of Rosedale and Partners, Newmarket UK, knows something about MRI both as a diagnostic and screening tool. Speaking from her clinic’s history of over 2,800 MRI scans in the last five years, she said, “The best yards allow frequent reviews of horses that are not performing well. If the trainer or rider notices a problem in the morning, the veterinarian will examine the horse in the afternoon and if necessary refer it to the clinic for further examination the following day.” Most notable for the American racing community was her observation that, the UK is at a different stage of MRI usage than the USA. Dr. Powell explained, “Unlike in the United States, racing is expanding in the United Kingdom through increasing appeal to families, which makes it even more important to prevent public catastrophes and educate trainers that fractures may not be just an ‘unlucky step’ but may relate to previous training history. At the introduction of MRI into the UK market, considerable effort was put into education evenings and the presentation of facts, photos and represented scientific research from both the equine and human sports medicine communities.”

Dr. Powell said that with definitive answers available from MRI, the benefits to trainers include:

· Helps long term planning of a racing campaign for each horse.

· Keeps the horse in training (possibly with a modified program), satisfying owners and trainers.

· Avoiding anesthesia makes it safe with minimal time out.

· Helps make decisions with regard to planned long distance travel.

· Helps decide whether to wrap up a horse for the remainder of the year.

· Helps assess new horses on the yard.

As the meeting concluded, a frequent comment heard was how unusual and valuable it was to get so many of the nation’s leading Thoroughbred racehorse veterinarians in one room. Future meetings are in the planning stages to further the discussion and studies of how reduce Thoroughbred racehorse breakdowns.

For more information about Hallmarq standing MRIs, please visit hallmarq.net, or call 978-266-1219.