Power Doppler to investigate superficial digital flexor tendinopathy in the horse

Abstract

Background: Recent advances in tendinopathy research have focused on tendon vascularization detected with Color Doppler (CD) ultrasound. The use of CD has also been described in horses in a study on chronic lesions of superficial digital flexor tendon and suspensory ligament. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and distribution of power Doppler (PD) signal in horses with superficial digital flexor tendinopathy. Methods: Twenty-five horses with tendinopathy were included and 10 healthy horses with no lameness and no ultrasonographic abnormalities were used for comparison. Results: In all horses with tendinopathy, the PD signal was visible while normal tendons with no abnormalities in B-mode were PD signal-free. Conclusion: We can speculate that PD could provide essential information about the healing process than the grayscale ultrasound.