FEEVA considers that there is no evidence to support standardised radiography of the cervical vertebrae in clinically normal horses presenting for pre-purchase examination (PPE) where there is no valid clinical justification for doing so. The radiographs required in such cases are highly unlikely to be of use in assessing risk of cervical pathologies in asymptomatic horses.
The veterinary surgeon should decide whether there is sufficient evidence or adequate reasoning to support the inclusion of cervical radiographs as part of the PPE, and this should be performed on an individual basis, for example, clinical concerns arising from the PPE, prior relevant history declared at the PPE, known familial heritability which increases the risk of detectable cervical pathologies, purchaser expressed aversion to the presence of neck pathology, significant concerns over future breeding potential in stallions (although data on the heritability of neck pathology is incomplete meaning individual breed societies will need to define assessment protocols).
If screening cervical radiography is to be performed as part of a PPE, sufficient examination should have been performed during the PPE to identify any significant clinical signs (for example but not limited to muscle atrophy, neck pain or movement restriction, cervical neurological deficits). Where radiography of the cervical vertebrae is performed it should be carried out in a suitable environment, with appropriate equipment and by a suitably skilled individual (which often involves a team of two or more people).
Interpretation of the radiographs should be carried out by a veterinary surgeon who has sufficient knowledge and experience of interpreting those images, and should include (at a minimum) assessment of normalcy of the vertebrae and vertebral canal, assessment of appearance of articular process joints and adjacent intervertebral foraminae, and assessment of the appearance of the inter-central (disc) joints.