Scintigraphic, radiographic, and thermographic appearance of the metacarpal and metatarsal regions of adult healthy horses treated with nonfocused extracorporeal shock wave therapy--a pilot study

Nonfocused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) treatment protocol is commonly used in veterinary practice. This study investigated the effects of four nonfocused ESWT treatments, given 2 weeks apart, on bone radiopharmaceutical uptake and radiographic and thermographic appearance in the metacarpal and metatarsal regions in six adult untrained horses. There were no measurable treatment effects determined by thermography (daily), scintigraphy (at 2-week intervals), and radiography (before study initiation and at study completion) between treated and control limbs. It was concluded that no gross evidence of bone remodeling is detectable by conventional clinical assessment when nonfocused ESWT is applied to healthy equine metacarpal or metatarsal bone.