Have any of you ever had a scintigraphy scan on your horse?

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Bounty

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Rage is having one today....
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Have any of you ever used this as a diagnostic tool and what did it throw up?

My mind is running riot with me
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Copied and pasted :

Scintigraphy is an imaging technique based on radioisotope γ-ray discharge detected by a gamma camera. The radioisotope is attached to a pharmaceutical that selectively localizes it to the bone. The radiopharmaceutical uptake is increased in bone sites that have greater osteoblastic and metabolism activities, and sites that receive greater blood supply. Under normal or pathological conditions different bone sites are exposed to increased radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU).

In the horse, scintigraphy is used predominantly for detection of bone pathologies, particularly stress fractures.

Diagnosing lameness in horses is done in several stages: anamneses, observation of the horse’s movement, thorough palpation, diagnostic analgesia, radiology and ultrasound. Radiology and ultrasound are more diagnostic for distal limb pathologies than for proximal pathologies due to the large muscle mass and superimposition of the proximal limb structures. In addition they are more diagnostic in later stages when changes can be seen in macro.
Many studies show that when the cause of the lameness is unknown or when the source of pain is more proximal than the elbow/stifle joints, scintigraphy can better localize the source of pain and enables us to treat the horse more accurately. Moreover, scintigraphy has the advantage of detecting bone injuries such as stress fractures in very early stages. Though the injury may not be visible in macro, in micro, bone remodeling already occurs. Early discovery of the injury and more exact localization of the pain are crucial for the success of the treatment as well as an easier and faster recovery.

The interpretation of the scintigraphy scan results is subjective. When interpreting the results it should be taken under consideration that there are IRU sites that characterize certain physiological processes. Analgesia prior to the scintigraphy scan is said to affect its results, yet recent studies show that its effects are minor and affect only soft tissue uptake.

Scintigraphy is a very sensitive technique, but its specificity is lower than that of other imaging techniques, and so it is important to evaluate its results in conjunction with clinical evaluation and other imaging or diagnostic modalities.

In conclusion, scintigraphy is a valuable aid in the detection and evaluation of lameness in horses.
 
I've had no end of behavioural issues which we've explored for a pain response: nothing. He's now pulled up very lame behind, so he's having the works, everything scanned, starting with hind limbs and back/pelvis, then on to neck and front limbs. Better to find out than not, I'm dreading mine coming back clear: there is definitely something going on and I'm relieved to have a good excuse to explore the issue properly. All the best, let us now how you get on.
 
Sounds like you've been through the mill a bit! I hate behavioural type niggles, you know your horse better than anyone, but everyone on the outside thinks you are just making excuses for their bad behaviour when you start looking for physical issues
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Been there, done that, can you tell?!
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The fear of it coming back clear is second to having it come back riddled with hot spots - his lameness is very slight and it has taken 9months for me to convince the vet that it is there, and not just his way of going. The last time he went into the surgery for a workup I was virtually jumping up and down on the end of the lunge when he started mis-stepping when lunged on the hard, as finally everyone else could see what I have been harping on about all this time. He is having his back, pelvis and both hinds done; vet suspects DJD in his hock(s) and/or stifle(s)
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One of mine has had it done. She has to stay in her stable with no 'human' contact for 24 hours after due to the nuclear drug they administer.
From what I can tell she wasn't distressed/effected by any of the things that were going on. I'm still not 100% sure of what benifit doing this did to her as the vet didn't treat but I do know the results and the theory behind it!
It was very scarey waiting for the call that she was ok though.

Hope all goes well for you
 
That sounds really annoying for you: 9 months! My vet spotted a tiny lameness that I hadn't seen, and it's been getting slowly but steadily worse until Thursday, started lunging and he went from being unlevel to hopping and then being unable to weight bear. No heat, no swelling, it's eased off and he's moving now. He's been the most difficult horse to break, I spent 7 months working on him, he then had 4 months with Michael Peace and 6 weeks with a pro event rider and he's still only just started cantering with me. His behaviour is so inconsistent, but when he's having a bad day you know about it!! Just hoping we get some answers and we can get him right, otherwise I will be the proud mummy of the loveliest paddock ornament. How depressing... !
 
When I say 9months, that s when it first surfaced. He has had 4 bouts of lameness (each lasting 2-3weeks) during that time, but has been otherwise sound, which i why I've had so much trouble getting anyone to diagnose him
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Your boy sounds a nightmare (not meant to be harsh, I'm sure you know what I mean!), I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you can find something to go on from tomorrows scan
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