THE ACCURACY OF THE DORSOPROXIMAL-DORSODISTAL PROJECTION IN ASSESSING3RD CARPAL BONE SCLEROSIS IN STANDARD-BRED TROTTERS

Thirty-five carpal joints from 20 standardbred trotters, age 1 to 7 ye ars, all euthanized for nonorthopedic reasons, were examined to invest igate the correlation between assessments of subchondral bone sclerosi s in the third carpal bane from radiographs in the dorsoproximal-dorso distal (DPr-DDi) projection and bistomorphometric bone volume density measurements. The agreement between assessments of sclerosis from ante mortem versus postmortem radiographs was also evaluated. Bones graded as sclerotic in the DPr-DDi projection had significantly higher bone v olume density values for all areas of measurement than nonsclerotic bo nes. For sclerotic bones, grading of sclerosis was significantly assoc iated with volume density measurements in the central cancellous bone only. These was a good agreement (kappa(w) = 0.71) between assessments of radiographic bone sclerosis from antemortem versus postmortem radi ographs.