Cone-beam computed tomography produces images of numerically comparable diagnostic quality for bone and inferior quality for soft tissues compared with fan-beam computed tomography in cadaveric equine metacarpophalangeal joints.

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an emerging modality for imaging of the equine patient. The objective of this prospective, descriptive, exploratory study was to assess visualization tasks using CBCT compared with conventional fan-beam CT (FBCT) for imaging of the metacarpophalangeal joint in equine cadavers. Satisfaction scores were numerically excellent with both CBCT and FBCT for bone evaluation, and FBCT was numerically superior for soft tissue evaluation. Preference tests indicated FBCT was numerically superior for soft tissue evaluation, while preference test scoring for bone was observer-dependent. Findings from this study can be used as background for future studies evaluating CBCT image quality in live horses.