Nuclear Scintigraphy

Nuclear scintigraphy, commonly referred to as “bone scan,” is a sensitive imaging technique that localizes injuries and inflammation. It can pinpoint elusive lameness and causes for poor performance, multiple limb lameness, and mid-back and pelvic pain. It is especially useful when other diagnostics are inconclusive.

Our nuclear scintigraphy system is the only one within a 200 mile radius. We use a state of the art gamma camera, the same as that used at Washington State University and Columbia Equine Hospital in Gresham, Oregon.

Nuclear scintigraphy utilizes an isotope injected intravenously. The isotope circulates the body and accumulates in areas of inflammation and bone remodeling. The camera captures an image, and “hot spots” indicate locations of inflammation and bone remodeling.

Nuclear scintigraphy requires only sedation. Sedation is administered by an intravenous catheter. The procedure requires removal of your horse’s shoes. Your horse needs to arrive the day before and will be hospitalized for 24 hours following the procedure.


Digital Radiography

The clinic’s advanced diagnostic imaging includes portable direct digital x-rays and a powerful in-house 300 mA x-ray machine which allows detailed examination of the head, neck, chest, upper limbs and abdomen.

Digital radiographs can be done with a direct or computed system. Our doctors use a direct digital radiology or DR system which allows the image to be seen immediately on a laptop. Modern DR systems produce high quality images and are portable. This enables immediate diagnosis of most conditions at the farm. For problems involving the head, neck, chest, upper limbs and abdomen, horses can be brought into our clinic to use the more powerful in-house 300 mA x-ray machine.


Digital Ultrasound

Advanced digital ultrasound technology allows us to thoroughly analyze soft tissue injuries. The higher megahertz probes and digital screen analysis allow subtle lesions to be recognized, with fewer artifacts misdiagnosed as injuries.

Our ultrasounds have separate probes for musculoskeletal, reproductive and abdominal evaluations.

All ultrasounds produce sound waves, which are reflected by tissues back to the probe recording a pattern on the screen. The denser the tissue, the more the sound waves are reflected. Sound waves pass through fluid unaffected and do not penetrate bone. Therefore, ultrasound is effective for soft tissue diagnosis and injuries involving tendons, ligaments, muscles, joint capsule and cartilage.


Video Endoscopy

We have 1-meter and 3-meter fiber optic video endoscopes. The 1-meter scope allows evaluation of the upper airways, sinuses, urethra/bladder and uterus in a standing horse. In addition, many of the problems identified this way can be treated with our diode laser fiber passed through the endoscope. The 3-meter endoscope reaches the stomach of an adult horse for examination of the esophagus and stomach for ulcers, tumors and strictures.


Dynamic Endoscopy

We are very pleased to announce that dynamic endoscopy is now available at Rainland Farm Equine Clinic. The new endoscopy unit by Tele-View is easy to fit the horse, provides a stable high-quality image and allows the examination to be performed under natural training conditions.

Due to the dynamic nature of the upper airway of the horse, examination during exercise has been the gold standard of airway evaluations. This has been limited to high-speed treadmill examinations for many years and often suboptimal in simulating head carriage and collection induced airway obstructions in the sport horse.

Dynamic endoscopy allows horses to perform working speeds without altering performance, allowing high-speed evaluation on the farm at the speed and distance the horse normally performs. Safety and reliability of dynamic endoscopy in racing thoroughbreds and harness horses were first reported by Desmaizieres LM et. al. in 2009. Since this study, dynamic endoscopy has also been shown to be safe and reliable in sport horses and pleasure horses as well.

The endoscope attaches a bridle with the recording box allowing the horse to work with its own tack in place.
Upper airway abnormalities that can be diagnosed more accurately with greater sensitivity using dynamic endoscopy are listed below:
Vocal cord collapse Rostral displacement Epiglottic entrapment Dorsal displacement of the soft palate Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy Tracheal collapse.

The examination starts by placing the endoscope with the horse standing allowing the standard static examination to be performed first, so detection of the below abnormalities is also achieved, thus offering an all-inclusive examination.

Nasal passage mass Sub epiglottic or palatal mass (granuloma, neoplasm, cyst) Epiglottic hypoplasia, flaccidity, deformity Lymphoid hyperplasia Epiglottic entrapment Arytenoid chondropathy EIPH (Exercised Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage).

For further information or to make an appointment please call the office at 425-483-2255.