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Accuracy of ultrasound‐guided intra‐articular injection of cervical facet joints in horses: a cadaveric study

2003; Wiley; Volume: 35; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2746/042516403775696366

2042-3306

Jon Nielsen, Lise C. Berg, M. B. Thoefner, Preben D. Thomsen,

Shoulder Injury and Treatment

Intra-articular facet joint injection is an established diagnostic procedure in human medicine but there are no reports on its reliability in equine practice.To investigate the accuracy of ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of the cervical facet joints and to estimate factors influencing the accuracy.Sixty injections with blue dye were performed on the facet joints between 2nd and 7th cervical vertebra (C2-C7) on horses subjected to euthanasia for nonorthopaedic reasons. The facet joints were subsequently dissected to verify accuracy of deposition.Seventy-two percent of the injections were found to be intra-articular, 17% were intracapsular and a total of 98% were within 1 mm of the joint capsule. There was a marked effect of gained experience (P < 0.01), but not of other factors tested.The results of the present study do not translate directly to injections performed in live horses, but they indicate that the method can be applied as a diagnostic as well as therapeutic procedure in C2 to C7 and that is advisable to practise injections on cadaver specimens before applying the technique.