AJTCVM

American Journal of
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

0

Evaluating the Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Traditional Chinese Medicine Eye-based Diagnostic Systems and Clinical Disease in Horses

Allison Marshall; Huisheng Xie; Aituan Ma; Deng-Shan Shiau

Abstract

This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of three traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) eye-based diagnostic systems (Wu Lun, Ba Kuo, Ba Gua) and equine clinical disease. An ocular exam was performed on 103 horses which included photo documentation of both eyes. Findings from the exam, using each of the different TCM diagnostic systems, were compared to known medical history of a subject horse and the clinical presentation during the enrollment visit. An overall diagnosis accuracy score of each TCM eye assessment system was evaluated against the chance level, and the differences among the three systems were compared. Based on a subject horse’s past medical history, all three eye diagnostic systems had overall diagnostic scores significantly greater than 0 (null hypothesis), demonstrating better than chance diagnostic accuracy: p=5.8×10-13, 1.9×10-13, 9.4×10-11 for Ba Gua, Ba Kuo and Wu Lun respectively. Statistically significant findings for diagnostic accuracy were also obtained based on a subject’s clinical presentation at study enrollment: p=8.2×10-15, 3.0×10-14, 5.3×10-13 for Ba Kuo, Ba Gua, Wu Lun respectively; all with smaller p-values (more significant) than the results for past medical history. Comparison of diagnostic score outcomes did not reveal significant differences among the three eye-based diagnostic systems (p=1.000 and 0.243, based on past medical history and clinical presentation, respectively). This study provides early evidence-based findings that the three TCM ocular assessments could prove helpful in diagnosing clinical disease and Zang-fu organ imbalance in the horse and should be considered as a useful adjunct to equine clinical TCVM examinations.

Keywords
Citation
Marshall A, Xie H, Ma A, Shiau D. Evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of three traditional Chinese medicine eye-based diagnostic systems and clinical disease in horses. Am J Trad Chin Vet Med 2026; 21(1):21-27. https://doi.org/10.59565/001c.154712

Evaluating the Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Traditional Chinese Medicine Eye-based Diagnostic Systems and Clinical Disease in Horses

Allison Marshall; Huisheng Xie; Aituan Ma; Deng-Shan Shiau

Please note: This is an AJTCVM article PDF (electronic file). Once purchased you will receive a link to download the file to your computer/device. No physical product will be shipped.

Did you previously purchase this document?  Or do you have an All Access Pass?

You must first log in to access your prior purchases.

Simply click the gold “Login” button at the top or click over to the Profile page and log in.

Get this for FREE!

Purchase an All Access Pass and EVERYTHING on this site is included automatically

Searching...