Clear scans mean all clear!
Since writing the above piece I have been approached on more than one occasion by owners who have had hind limbs scanned with a clear result for the suspensory ligaments. The vets involved however have decided to ignore the clear scan and have carried on treating for PSD regardless. This is outrageous - why perform a scan if the result is to be ignored, and why offer expensive treatment to an area that has been shown to be clear on investigation??
At the other end of the scale, I have recently heard about an owner who has been told that scans don't show PSD so it's a waste of time to do them and the horse should just be sent for de-nerving. So what are the scans that show inflammation doing?! I don't deny that the hind suspensories can and do get inflamed - they do! Where I diverge is in wanting to know why they've occurred and therefore how they should be treated along with the primary cause.
Do not be fooled by this approach. Scans are useful for a reason but should be believed for what they show and not for what the vet would like to see. Do not allow your horse to undergo unnecessary treatment without justification and certainly if the evidence is pointing to PSD not being the problem! If your horse is insured you are wasting your treatment allowance and risking unnecessary exclusions that might prove important in the future.