NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE HORSE STIFLE JOINT THROUGH 3D COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY-ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY ANALYSIS

The study design was prospective and descriptive of the horse stifle joint using CT, sectional anatomy, SEM, and EDX analysis. The 3D rendered-volume reconstruction CT of the horse's stifle joint allows good visualization of the large and small bony structures and ligaments, or menisci. In addition to the sagittal CT section and subsequent CT bone window cross sections, which provided detailed images of bone structures, ligaments, and muscles, the sectional CT was matched with cross and sagittal anatomical sections. The horse's stifle joint is described using SEM and EDX analysis. The synovial membrane had varied synovial villi in length and shape: long and short tongue shapes with different tip shapes and dome-shaped, in addition to single or branched folds. The scratched surface revealed a network of collagen fibers arranged in various directions, layers, and deep synoviocytes. SEM-EDX Spectra identified the following items in the stifle joint's meniscus and ligaments: The sample contained carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, and phosphorus, with selenium replaced by sulfur at the meniscus. Four specimens were examined to determine their carbon and oxygen percentages. Calcium and phosphorus levels were measured, with the highest concentrations in the meniscus and the lowest in the collateral and patellar ligaments. The percentage of sulfur was determined, and ligaments had a higher percentage than menisci, particularly at the cruciate ligaments, whereas menisci contained silicon. Knowledge of the stifle joint's macro- and microscopic normal anatomy obtained through 3D CT, SEM, and EDX is a good guide and reference for determining the horse stifle's bony and soft tissue structures and microstructures, as well as the chemical structure of the synovial membrane, ligaments, and menisci. Nova spoznanja o konjskem kolenskem sklepu s pomočjo 3D-računalniške tomografije, vrstične elektronske mikroskopije ter vrstične elektronske mikroskopije in energijsko disperzijske rentgenske analize Izvleček: Zasnova študije konjskega kolenskega sklepa je bila prospektivna in opisna, z uporabo CT, anatomije iz rezin, SEM in analize EDX. CT konjskega kolenskega sklepa z rekonstrukcijo tridimenzionalnega upodobljenega volumna omogoča dobro vizualizacijo velikih in majhnih kostnih struktur ter vezi ali meniskusov. Poleg sagitalnih CT-rezin in naknadnih prečnih CT-rezin kosti, ki so omogočile podrobne posnetke kostnih struktur, vezi in mišic, so bili sekcijski CT-ji usklajeni s prečnimi in sagitalnimi anatomskimi prerezi. Konjski kolenski sklep je opisan z analizo SEM in EDX. Sinovialna membrana je imela različne sinovialne resice po dolžini in obliki: dolge in kratke jezičaste z različnimi konicami in kupolasto obliko, poleg tega pa tudi posamezne ali razvejene gube. Površina razkriva mrežo kolagenih vlaken, razporejenih v različnih smereh, plasteh in globoke sinoviocite. Spektri SEM-EDX so identificirali naslednje elemente v meniskusih in vezeh kolenskega sklepa: vzorec je vseboval ogljik, kisik, dušik, žveplo, kalcij in fosfor, pri čemer je selen v meniskusu zamenjal žveplo. Pregledali smo štiri vzorce, da bi določili odstotni delež ogljika in kisika. Izmerjene so bile vrednosti kalcija in fosforja, pri čemer so bile najvišje koncentracije v meniskusu, najnižje pa v kolateralnih in patelarnih vezeh. Določen je bil odstotek žvepla, ki je bil v ligamentih višji kot v meniskusih, zlasti v križnih vezeh, medtem ko so meniskusi vsebovali silicij. Poznavanje normalne makro- in mikroskopske anatomije kolenskega sklepa, pridobljene s 3D-CT, SEM in EDX, je dobro vodilo in referenca za določanje kostnih in mehkotkivnih struktur in mikrostruktur ter kemične strukture sinovialne membrane, ligamentov in meniskusov konjskega kolenskega sklepa. Ključne besede: konj; kolenski sklep; 3D-CT; anatomska analiza iz rezin; SEM; SEM-EDX