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Topic:Bones
The skeletal system in horses comprises a complex structure of bones that provide support, protection, and mobility. Equine bones are involved in various physiological functions, including mineral storage and hematopoiesis. The bone structure in horses is categorized into different types, such as long bones, short bones, flat bones, and irregular bones, each serving specific roles in movement and stability. Research in this area explores topics such as bone development, remodeling, and the impact of nutrition and exercise on bone health. This page gathers peer-reviewed studies and academic articles that focus on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of bones in horses, offering insights into conditions such as fractures, bone diseases, and the effects of aging on the equine skeletal system.
Repair of fractures of the distal aspect of the radius in two horses. Fractures of the distal radius in two horses were repaired by open reduction and interfragmentary compression using screws placed in a lag fashion. One horse had a complete oblique fracture of the medial aspect of the epiphysis of the distal radius and was sound for riding 32 months after surgery. The other horse had an open spiral comminuted fracture with medial displacement of the distal radial fragment. Laminitis developed in the contralateral limb and this horse was euthanatized 5 weeks after surgery.
Sir Frederick Hobday Memorial Lecture. Some observations on condylar fractures of the third metacarpus and third metatarsus in young thoroughbreds. The common spontaneous fractures of the third metacarpus and
metatarsus of young racehorses are split cannons or condylar
fractures. Meagher (1976) described a series of 45 cases involving
the lateral condyle and Richardson (1984) detailed 15 cases involving
the medial metatarsal condyle. Rick et al. (1983) published a clinical
and pathological study of 75 cases of third metacarpal and metatarsal
condylar fracture. In the United Kingdom, Barr et al. (1989) recorded
8 cases with long fractures, 3 lateral and 5 medial condylar. This
paper reports 124 cases of medial or lateral condylar f...
A silver-impregnation and immunocytochemical study of innervation of the distal sesamoid bone and its suspensory ligaments in the horse. The innervation of the navicular bone (os sesamoideum distale) and its suspensory ligaments (ligamenta sesamoidea collateralia) (CSL) or proximal suspensory ligament and the ligamentum sesamoideum distale impar or the distal sesamoidean impar ligament (DS-impar ligament) was examined using combined anatomical techniques of silver impregnation and immunocytochemistry. Silver impregnation studies revealed an abundance of nerve fibres present in both the CSL and DS-impar ligament with the latter having relatively more nerve fibres. These silver-impregnated nerves coursed parallel to and were asso...
Contact area and pressure distribution changes of the equine third carpal bone during loading. Changes in contact area and pressure distribution with loading were evaluated on the proximal articulating surface of the equine third carpal bone using safranin-O dye staining and pressure sensitive film techniques. A significant increase in percentage contact area resulted as the applied load was increased from 3115 to 9000 N (54.93% +/- 7.99 vs 61.43% +/- 7.37 respectively, P = 0.016). The area in contact shifted towards the dorsal aspect of both the radial and intermediate facets of the third carpal bone. Changes were also detected in the mean pressure under the same loading conditions. Th...
Nerve supply of the proximal sesamoid bone in the horse. In chronical proximal sesamoid bone lameness it is difficult to localise the exact site of pain. A specific diagnostic analgesia is not available because of a deficiency of detailed information about the nerve supply to the proximal sesamoid bones and surrounding area. A macroscopic study of the nerve distribution to the proximal sesamoid bones of 10 foals and 5 adult horses revealed that these bones are innervated by two branches, in this study called the medial and lateral sesamoidean nerve, respectively, originating from the medial and lateral palmar nerve. Histology of the left forelimbs o...
The relationship between intra-articular and juxta-articular intraosseous pressures in the metatarsophalangeal region of the pony. Eight metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) joints were studied in anaesthetized young ponies. Pressure measurements were made in the joint and at various sites in the marrow cavity of the third metatarsal bone with simultaneous measurement of systemic arterial and venous blood pressures. Fetlock joint flexion was always associated with a statistically significant initial decrease in intra-articular pressure (p < 0.05) followed by a marked increase in pressure (p < 0.05). Subsequent extension was accompanied by a similar pressure pattern, although there appeared to be a hysteretic relationship. ...
Relationships between radiography of cervical vertebrae and histopathology of the cervical cord in wobbling 19 foals. Nineteen wobbling foals (17 males and 2 females) showing lameness of hindlimbs at 6 to 21 months of age were investigated radiographically and histopathologically. Minimum sagittal diameter (MSD), minimum flexion diameter (MFD) and minimum dural sagittal diameter (MDD) were measured on plain radiograms or myelograms taken at neutral and flexed positions as indicators of narrowed vertebral canal. After necropsy, the cervical spines and the spinal cord were examined macroscopically and respectively the relationships between radiographic findings and the corresponding morphological lesions were e...
Systemic bone growth factors in light breed mares and their foals. There is a high incidence of bony pathology in race horses. Thus, plasma GH, IGF-1, osteocalcin (OC), calcium (Ca) and inorganic phosphorus (P) concentrations were measured in 12 healthy Selle Français foals and their dams during the first five months after birth. Plasma IGF-1 and OC concentrations were higher in foals than in mares (336 +/- 25 vs 230 +/- 18 ng/ml, P < 0.05; 52.5 +/- 3.2 vs 4.9 +/- 0.1 ng/mg, P < 0.01, respectively). A significant positive linear relationship could be established between these two parameters in foals (IGF-1 = 19 + 0.619 OC; P < 0.05). Another strikin...
Fracture of the wing of the ilium, adjacent to the sacroiliac joint, in thoroughbred racehorses. During a two year period, sagittal fractures of the wing of the ilium were diagnosed in 10 Thoroughbred horses. All were spontaneous fractures sustained during normal exercise in training and racing, with no history of inciting trauma. When ultrasound scans of the surface of the pelvis were performed, the fracture was clearly visible as a discontinuity of the sacral wing of the ilium. In 3 horses, an irregular contour suggestive of periosteal callus was seen in the vicinity of the acute fracture. All horses examined by gamma scintigraphy had a focal increase in uptake of isotope just lateral t...
Progression and association with lameness and racing performance of radiographic changes in the proximal sesamoid bones of young standardbred trotters. Radiographic examination of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints was performed on 753 Standardbred trotters (6-21 months of age): 21 showed obvious changes in 26 proximal sesamoid bones on lateromedial projection. The radiographic changes were divided into 6 different types: (1) irregular abaxial margin (8 horses); (2) enlargement of the sesamoid bone (6 horses); (3) 'fracture' or separate centre of ossification of the apex (4 horses); (4) vertical, non-articular fracture of the plantar part of the sesamoid bone (1 horse); (5) a small bony fragment located in a defect in the apical pa...
[The discovery of a horse skeleton from the 17th century in Kiesen in Bern canton]. In 1968 a skeleton of a horse was found in Kiesen (Switzerland). This discovery could be dated by radiocarbon method: According to that this 13 years old gelding with a withers-height of 135 to 140 cm must have lived during the first third of the 17th century. Apparently it died by an accident. The bones are fully documented with pictures and scales and the findings described and discussed in detail.
Solitary osteochondroma of the nasal bone in a horse. A 3-year-old Appaloosa stallion with a 4 cm x 4 cm x 2.5 cm mass protruding from his nasal bone was evaluated. Radiographs revealed an osseous mass, with a radiopaque outer margin and several radiolucent areas within the body of the mass. The mass was surgically removed and evaluated histopathologically. The histopathological diagnosis was osteochondroma. This case represent the first reported occurrence of an osteochondroma arising from intramembraneous bone in the horse.
Assessment of vertebral canal diameter and bony malformations of the cervical part of the spine in horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy. Magnification of cervical radiographs prevents accurate interpretation of vertebral canal absolute minimum sagittal diameter (MSD) values and application of the established MSD values for diagnosis of cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM). Variability in MSD determination in human beings, owing to radiographic magnification, is minimized by assessing a ratio of the vertebral canal diameter to the sagittal width of the vertebral body. This relative measurement technique improves the accuracy of diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis in human beings. The MSD of the vertebral canal was determined in ...
Substance P immunohistochemical study of the sensory innervation of normal subchondral bone in the equine metacarpophalangeal joint. Serial sections of bone and soft tissue from the metacarpophalangeal joints of 2 mature and 2 immature horses were evaluated for substance P immunoreactive sensory nerve fibers. Formalin-fixed specimens were sectioned, either nondemineralized or demineralized with formic acid or EDTA. Rabbit antiserum to substance P (SP) was used in the streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method for immunolocalization of SP antigen, and staining with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine was used for permanent identification of SP fibers. Abundant sensory nerve fibers were identified in the joint capsule, synovial membrane...
[The former place of execution of the Lucerne herd in Emmen (1562-1798)(1562-1798) and slaughter yard belonging to it (1562-1866): pathologico-anatomic findings in excavated animal bones]. During archaeological excavations of the former knackers yard in Emmen (Canton Lucerne) skeletons and individual bones of more than 700 animals were recovered. 110 bone samples had lesions and were examined macroscopically and radiologically, 100 were from horses, 9 from dogs and only one from cattle. According to morphological and etiopathogenetical criteria, lesions are presented in the following groups: tooth irregularities (10), degenerative changes in bones and joints due to overload and aging (80), trauma and infection (10), other lesions (10). Over 80% of pathological bone samples prese...
An improved method for the scintigraphic detection of acute bone damage to the equine pelvis by probe point counting. A fracture of the pelvis in a horse can be detected scintigraphically by probe point counting. However, the pelvis is covered by a large and variable muscle mass, and is close to the urinary bladder, both of which can introduce errors. This paper describes an improved technique which uses a larger set of sampling points and analyses the data with a small computer to construct a three dimensional graph of the gamma-ray output across the pelvis, thus helping to improve the interpretation of the data. The scintigraphic plot from a normal horse, three cases of fracture (confirmed by radiography, u...
Endoscopic examination and treatment of paranasal sinus disease in 16 horses. Sixteen horses with suspected paranasal sinus disease had endoscopic examination of the paranasal sinuses with a 4.0 mm arthroscope either while standing and sedated (14 horses) or under general anesthesia (two horses). Endoscopic diagnosis included sinusitis (four horses), sinus cyst (three horses), hemorrhage (three horses), neoplasia (three horses), and tooth root abnormalities (two horses). No abnormalities were detected in one horse. Endoscopic findings concurred with the radiographic findings in 13 horses (81%). Samples of sinus contents for bacteriologic (eight horses) and histologic ex...
Preliminary report: the development of an intraosseous infusion technique for neonatal foals. Six normal foals between the ages of 2 and 7 days were used in this study to develop a technique for intraosseous infusion in equine neonates. A 14-gauge 1/2-inch needle was placed intraosseously in the right proximal medial one-third aspect of the radius and tibia of each foal. A maximum of 1 L of isotonic fluids was administered intraosseously at these sites. Radiographs were taken at the time of intraosseous needle placement, and at days 10, 30, and 60 following the procedure. The mean time for needle placement was 33 seconds for the tibia and 63 seconds for the radius. The mean fluid flow ...
A study of 118 cases of navicular disease: radiological features. Dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique, lateromedial and palmaroproximal-palmarodistal oblique radiographic projections were used with standard techniques to examine 118 horses with clinical signs of navicular disease. All radiological features which have previously been reported as significant changes in the navicular bones of horses with navicular disease were recorded. Comparisons were made between these features in lame limbs and sound limbs in unilaterally lame horses and most lame limbs and least lame limbs in bilateral but asymmetrically lame animals. Their relationship to the degree of la...
Articular fracture of the dorsoproximolateral aspect of the third metatarsal bone in five standardbred racehorses. Articular fracture of the dorsoproximolateral aspect of the third metatarsal bone (MT3) caused an acute onset of lameness in 5 horses; however, 3 of the horses had historical and radiographic or scintigraphic evidence of chronic tarsal and metatarsal disease before fracture. The pathogenesis of dorsoproximolateral fracture of MT3 remains unclear, but the fracture may occur as a result of the formation of abnormal bone in the proximal aspect of MT3. The prognosis for racing in horses with this fracture appears to be guarded.
Radiographic evaluation of ossification of the collateral cartilages of the third phalanx in Finnhorses. Of 462 Finnhorses (age 1-20 years) evaluated and graded (scale 0-5) radiographically for ossification of the collateral cartilages of the 3rd phalanx of the front feet, 22.9% were totally free from sidebones (Grade 0), and 49.1% had minimal or mild ossification (Grade 1 or 2) at the base of 1 or more of the cartilages. Moderate ossification (Grade 3) was present in 10.2% of the horses, whereas ossification was advanced (Grade 4) or extensive (Grade 5) in 17.8%. In most horses > 1 cartilage was affected and 7.6% of the horses had separate centres of ossification in 1 or more of the cartilages. ...
Diagnosis and prediction of cervical vertebral malformation in thoroughbred foals based on semi-quantitative radiographic indicators. Over a period of 5 years on a central Kentucky Thoroughbred stud farm 132 foals were evaluated for the presence of cervical vertebral malformation (CVM). Lateral cervical vertebral radiographs were obtained on 70 standing foals. These radiographs were evaluated semi-quantitatively and scored numerically for the presence of stenosis of the vertebral canal, enlarged physeal growth plates, caudal extension of the dorsal border of the orifice of the vertebral canal, angular fixation, delayed ossification of bone and degenerative joint disease. From these scores a total CVM score was given for each...
Removal of a fracture fragment from the palmar aspect of the intermediate carpal bone in a horse. A 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding sustained a fracture of the palmar tuberosity of the intermediate carpal bone 2 weeks prior to admission. The dorsolateral-palmaromedial oblique and flexed lateromedial radiographic views revealed the fracture line. The palmar fracture fragment from the intermediate carpal bone was removed by arthrotomy of the palmar intercarpal joint, which was approached through the carpal canal. Twenty months after surgery, the horse was show jumping without evidence of lameness.
