Scintigraphic pattern of uptake of 99mTechnetium by the cervical vertebrae of sound horses

Lateral scintigraphic images of the necks of 12 show jumping horses, 12 thoroughbreds and 12 French trotters were evaluated. Custom-written automatic analysis software was used to segment the regions of the articular processes and vertebral symphyses from C3 to C7 and to calculate their mean radiopharmaceutical uptakes. The uptakes by the two sides of these sound horses were not significantly different, and the uptakes by the vertebral symphyses and articular processes were also similar in the three groups of horses, considering each vertebral level separately. In the thoroughbred race horses, the mean uptake by the C6/C7 symphyses was significantly higher than by C5/C6, and the mean uptake by the C6/C7 articular processes was significantly higher than by C3/C4 and C4/C5. These differences were not observed in the French trotters and show jumping horses, but they were observed when the data for the three groups of horses were combined.