Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Surgery
Surgery for horses encompasses a range of procedures performed to diagnose, treat, or manage various medical conditions. These procedures may involve soft tissue or orthopedic interventions and require specialized techniques to accommodate the unique anatomical and physiological characteristics of equines. Common surgical procedures in horses include colic surgery, fracture repair, and arthroscopy. The success of equine surgery depends on numerous factors, including the type of procedure, the horse's overall health, and post-operative care. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore surgical techniques, outcomes, and advancements in equine surgical practices.
Congenital abnormalities of tendons and ligaments. Congenital deformities of tendons and ligaments are not uncommon in foals. The vast majority of hyperextension deformities are treated successfully with exercise management and extended heel shoes. Successful treatment of contractural deformities depend on the site and severity of the deformity and on the appropriate use of medical, physical, and, possibly, surgical therapy.
Superior check ligament desmotomy for treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis in thoroughbred and standardbred horses. Bilateral superior check ligament desmotomy was performed on 31 Thoroughbred and 17 Standardbred horses as the sole method of treatment for superficial digital flexor tendonitis. Horses resumed racing between 6 and 19 months after surgery. Horses that were able to compete in 5 or more races without injury to the tendon again were considered to have had a successful return to racing. Twenty-five Thoroughbreds were suitable for later study and 13 of these (52%) raced on 5 or more occasions. Fifteen Standardbreds were suitable for later study and 10 of these (66%) raced on 5 or more occasions. Wi...
Measurements of blood flow and xanthine oxidase activity during postischemic reperfusion of the large colon of ponies. To assess right colic artery blood flow and relevance of xanthine dehydrogenase/xanthine oxidase after experimentally induced strangulation obstruction and reperfusion of the colon, 5 ponies were subjected to 2.5 hours of complete ischemia of the left dorsal and ventral colons, allowed to recover from surgery, and monitored during a 48-hour reperfusion period. Five ponies were subjected to sham surgery and served as controls. All ponies had a Doppler ultrasound blood flow monitor implanted on the right colic artery near the pelvic flexure 10 to 14 days prior to the ischemic period. Colic arter...
Long-term fate and effects of exercise on sternal cartilage autografts used for repair of large osteochondral defects in horses. Bilateral osteochondral defects (10 mm2 x 3 mm deep) were created on the distal articular surface of the radial carpal bone of ten, 2- to 3-year-old horses. One defect of each horse was repaired, using a sternal cartilage autograft (treated), and the other was left untreated (control). The horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill at incrementally increased speed and duration over the course of 12 months. Horses were evaluated arthroscopically at 6 to 7 weeks, and clinical examinations were conducted weekly at exercise. Twelve months after surgery, carpuses of each horse were radiographe...
Jejunal obstruction caused by a Pythium insidiosum granuloma in a mare. An 8-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare was examined because of intermittent, low-grade abdominal pain and weight loss for 3 months. Incomplete jejunal obstruction, caused by a granulomatous mass in the wall of the jejunum, was identified during exploratory celiotomy. Pythium insidiosum was identified as the cause of the granuloma. This case suggests that enteric pythiosis may develop in horses that are geographically distant from the Gulf Coast.
Partial typhlectomy and ileocolostomy for treatment of nonreducible cecocolic intussusception in a horse. Cecocolic intussusception was detected in a 2-year-old male Standardbred horse with a 3-day history of signs of intermittent colic. The entire cecum, which was located within the lumen of the right ventral colon, was edematous and necrotic, and could not be manually reduced. A colotomy was made, and partial typhlectomy was performed. An ileocolostomy also was performed. To prevent eversion of the cecal base, the site of invagination into the colon was oversewn. Several postoperative complications were treated, including peritonitis, thrombophlebitis, anemia, and hypoproteinemia, and 1 year aft...
Arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments from the proximal interphalangeal joint of the pelvic limbs in three horses. Osteochondral fragments detected in the proximal interphalangeal joint in the pelvic limbs of 3 horses (2 Standardbreds and 1 Thoroughbred) caused joint enlargement and lameness. Fragments were removed by use of arthroscopy. Accurate placement of the arthroscope into the dorsal joint space was necessary to obtain an adequate view of the fragments. After surgery, 2 of the horses resumed racing without joint problems, and the third was in training to race. High-detail radiographs are necessary to detect osteochondral fragments in horses with joint enlargement or lameness localized to the proxima...
A retrospective study of vein thrombosis in horses treated with intravenous fluids in a veterinary teaching hospital. The medical records of 68 horses treated with IV fluids for 24 hours or more were reviewed to determine the risk of vein thrombosis and to determine which factors were associated with the occurrence of vein thrombosis in these horses. Three factors were positively associated with vein thrombosis including use of locally produced fluids and presence of fever and diarrhea. Two factors, having general anesthesia or having surgery, were negatively associated with vein thrombosis. One continuous variable, duration of treatment, was positively associated with vein thrombosis. Factors not associated ...
Chondrocyte-fibrin matrix transplants for resurfacing extensive articular cartilage defects. Cartilage resurfacing by chondrocyte implantation, with fibrin used as a vehicle, was examined in large (12 mm) full-thickness articular cartilage defects in horses. Articular chondrocytes, isolated from a 9-day-old foal, were mixed with fibrinogen and injected with thrombin, in a 1:1 mixture, into 12 mm circular defects on the lateral trochlea of the distal femur of eight normal horses. The contralateral femoropatellar (knee) joint served as a control in which the defect was left empty. Synovial fluid from the femoropatellar joints was sampled on days 0, 4, 7, 30, 120, and 240 postoperatively...
Attempts to modify reperfusion injury of equine jejunal mucosa using dimethylsulfoxide, allopurinol, and intraluminal oxygen. This study compared the severity of ischemic injury to the equine jejunal mucosa caused by arteriovenous obstruction (AVO) or venous obstruction (VO) with that caused by reperfusion after ischemia. The degree of mucosal damage and regeneration was scored according to a modified version of an established light microscopic classification for ischemic injury. Biopsy specimens taken after 3 and 4 hours of obstruction, and after 3 hours of obstruction and 1 hour of reperfusion, were compared. There were no changes in the severity of mucosal injury (characterized by epithelial sloughing, loss of vil...
Technique for long-term ileal cannulation in ponies. A T-cannula was fitted permanently into the ileum of ten mature ponies to quantify the role of the prececal and postileal segments of the digestive tract in equine nutrition studies. The ponies were anesthetized, positioned in left lateral recumbency, and the distal small intestine was exteriorized through a right paralumbar incision. A silastic T-cannula was inserted through a 2-cm longitudinal incision into the lumen of the ileum, on the antimesenteric surface, and sutured to the ileum. The stem of the cannula was exteriorized through a 2-cm circular skin incision, 6 cm caudal to the 16th ri...
An in vitro biomechanical investigation of an interlocking nail for fixation of diaphyseal tibial fractures in adult horses. The compressive, bending and torsional mechanical properties of osteotomized adult equine tibiae stabilized with an interlocking intramedullary nail (nail-tibia composite) were compared with those of intact tibiae to determine the clinical applicability of the the nail for repair of tibial fractures in adult horses. The mean yield load, failure load, and stiffness for the nail-tibia composites were significantly less (P < .05) than those for the intact tibiae in all loading configurations. The mean compressive yield load for the nail-tibia composites was greater than the compressive load ca...
Effect of ligation on internal carotid artery blood pressure in horses. The effect of a single ligature on back pressure in the internal carotid artery was studied in nine horses. In six anesthetized horses, one internal carotid artery was catheterized 2 cm from its origin and blood pressure was recorded continuously. Then the artery was ligated, pressure was recorded again, and the horses were euthanatized. In another three anesthetized horses, indwelling catheters were placed in both internal carotid arteries and a loose ligature was placed proximal to one catheter. After horses recovered from anesthesia, the ligature was tied and blood pressure was recorded in ...
An examination of the occurrence of surgical wound infection following equine orthopaedic surgery (1981-1990). Post operative surgical wound infection rates were determined 452 cases of equine orthopaedic surgery performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1990. Only surgical procedures classified as clean or clean-contaminated by the National Research Council were included in this study. The overall post operative infection rate was 10.0% (45 of 452). Clean surgeries (n = 433) had an 8.1% infection rate while clean-contaminated surgeries (n = 19) had a 52.6% infection rate. Information collected from the medical records was...
Morphological effects of arthroscopic partial synovectomy in horses. Gross and microscopic effects of arthroscopic partial synovectomy on synovium and articular cartilage of middle carpal joints were studied in 15 horses. A 7-mm diameter motorized synovial resector was inserted into each middle carpal joint and arthroscopic partial synovectomy and lavage or arthroscopic lavage alone was performed. Study periods were 0 (three horses), 16 (three horses), and 30 days (six horses). No gross evidence of degenerative joint disease was observed at day 16 or 30. At 30 days, resected areas lacked villi and there was deposition of fibrin on the synovial surface with vary...
Transendoscopic contact neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser treatment of tympany of the auditory tube diverticulum in two foals. Tympany of the auditory tube diverticulum was treated in 2 Standardbred foals by fenestrating the median septum, using an endoscopically placed Nd:YAG laser. Recurrence in 1 foal was treated by enlarging the fenestration, using a modified Whitehouse approach, and the pharyngeal opening of the auditory tube. Use of the Nd:YAG laser eliminates the risk of inadvertent cranial nerve damage associated with incisions into the auditory tube diverticulum. The procedure can be performed with the horse sedated or anesthetized. Clinical signs can recur in the fenestration heals closed or if the condition...
Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy associated with ameloblastoma in a horse. Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy was evident in a horse that had a locally invasive ameloblastoma of the left hemimandible. Surgical removal of the neoplasm resulted in prompt return of serum calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations to within reference limits. The tumor contained parathyroid hormone-related protein, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. It is likely that production of this protein by the neoplasm was important in the pathogenesis of the hypercalcemia. The case represented a sporadic form of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy attributable ...
Surface oximetry for intraoperative assessment of colonic viability in horses. Surface oximetry was used to evaluate viability of the ascending colon in 60 horses with naturally occurring colonic volvulus or displacement. Tissue surface oxygen tension (PsO2) was measured on the serosal surface of the pelvic flexure after anatomic correction of the colonic obstruction. Horses with PsO2 > 20 mm of Hg were predicted to have viable colon; whereas, horses with PsO2 < or = 20 mm of Hg were predicted to have nonviable colon. Results of surface oximetry were compared with final outcome. For surface oximetry, sensitivity (ability to accurately identify colon that was nonvia...
Arthroscopic removal of a fragment from an intercondylar eminence fracture of the tibia in a two-year-old horse. A 2-year-old Standardbred colt was admitted because of lameness of the left hind limb. Physical examination revealed marked effusion of the left femoropatellar and femorotibial joints and grade IV/V lameness of the left hind limb. Radiography of the left stifle revealed a complete fracture of the medial tubercle of the intercondylar eminence of the tibia. Arthroscopy was used to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic information. A cranial approach to the medial compartment of the femorotibial joint was performed. Manipulation of the medial tubercle revealed it to be unstable, but a d...
[Displacement and resection of the ascending colon in the horse: a literature review on the basis of 2 cases]. A review of displacements and surgery of the large colon is given on the basis of two cases. A four-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare was referred, one week before foaling, for colic of twelve hours duration. At rectal palpation a large uterus was found, but no cause for the colic. Laparotomy revealed a colonic volvulus and resection of about 75% of the large colon was necessary. A dead foal was born five days postoperatively, but the mare recovered well. A nine year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion with a history of frequent colic had been treated for nephrosplenic entrapment three times. Resection o...
Postoperative racing performance in standardbreds and thoroughbreds with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint: 109 cases (1984-1990). Medical records for 64 Thoroughbred and 45 Standardbred horses with osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of the tarsocrural joint that were treated by means of arthroscopic removal of the fragments before 2 years of age and before beginning racing were reviewed. Lesion site was recorded for all horses. The other foals from the dams of these surgically treated horses (siblings) were identified from mare progeny records. Racing data, including number of starts and money won during the 2- and 3-year-old racing years were obtained from the Jockey Club and the United States Trotting Association for affe...
Avulsion fracture of the origin of the extensor digitorum longus muscle in a foal. A 9-week-old Thoroughbred x Holsteiner colt was referred for evaluation and treatment of lameness of the right hind limb. Radiography of the stifle revealed multiple bony fragments within the lateral portion of the femorotibial joint and a radiolucency of the distolateral portion of the femur in the area of the extensor fossa, which were consistent with avulsion of the origin of the extensor digitorum longus muscle. Arthroscopy of the lateral portion of the femorotibial joint revealed exposed subchondral bone in the area of the extensor fossa, and the origin of the extensor digitorum longus mu...
Cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses to exercise in horses with various abnormalities of the upper respiratory tract. A standardised incremental exercise test was performed by 9 racehorses with idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH), 1 horse with maxillary sinus cysts, 1 horse with epiglottic entrapment, 1 horse with a lesion on the vocal folds, and 1 horse with pharyngitis. Two of the horses with ILH were retested after laryngoplasty and ventriculectomy. The findings were compared with those from 20 normal racehorses. Heart rate, plasma lactate concentration, arterial blood gases, stride frequency, oxygen uptake (VO2) and carbon dioxide production were assessed during treadmill exercise on a +10% slope. The g...
Accessory carpal bone fractures in the horse. The clinical signs, the radiographic appearance, and the treatment of two cases of fracture of the accessory carpal bone are described. The fractures were in the vertical plane. Surgical intervention consisted out of fixation of the fracture with two lag screws. Follow-up information revealed that one horse became sound and returned to complete athletic activity whereas the other horse remained lame. A brief literature review is given and the surgical treatment and the complications are discussed.
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.
Enterocutaneous fistulae in horses: 18 cases (1964 to 1992). Enterocutaneous fistulae are rare in horses and occur most commonly as a complication of umbilical hernias or their treatment. Horses with enterocutaneous fistulae may be successfully treated by en bloc resection of the body wall and intestine or by allowing second intention healing. Complications associated with surgical intervention include fever, colic, incisional problems, and recurrence of the fistula. Nonsurgical management of two horses with presumptive large colon fistulae resulted in resolution of the fistulae without complications.
Avulsion of the origin of the peroneus tertius tendon in a foal. A 3-month-old foal was examined because of lameness and fracture of the left lateral trochlear ridge of the femur. Arthroscopy of the left femoropatellar joint was elected. After induction of general anesthesia and placement of the foal in dorsal recumbency, it was noticed that the left hind limb was extended at the tibiotarsal joint and flexed at the femorotibial joint. Avulsion fracture at the origin of the peroneus tertius tendon was diagnosed. Fracture fragments were excised. The horse had mild left hind limb lameness at the time of follow-up evaluation 1 year after discharge.
A modified technique for implantation of polypropylene mesh for the repair of external abdominal hernias in horses: a review of 21 cases. During a 3-year period 21 horses were surgically treated because of large abdominal wall defects. In each case the defect was bridged with a polypropylene mesh, which was placed on the outside of the hernial ring. This was in contrast with the technique for mesh herniorrhaphy generally described in human and veterinary literature, in which the mesh is always implanted on the inside of the hernial ring. One horse was destroyed on the first postoperative day because of postanaesthetic myelomalacia. Surgical repair as described was successful in 18 patients. Recurrence of herniation occurred in t...
Treatment of mycotic rhinitis with itraconazole in three horses. Itraconazole, a third-generation azole, was evaluated for treatment of resistant nasal mycotic infections in horses. Two horses with Aspergillus spp nasal granulomas and 1 horse with Conidiobolus coronatus nasal infection were treated with itraconazole (3 mg/kg PO bid). One of the horses with nasal aspergillosis was also treated by surgical resection of the nasal septum. The treatment time for the horses ranged from 3 to 4.5 months. No adverse effects were noted in any of the horses during the treatment period. Peak and trough serum itraconazole concentrations were < 0.5 micrograms/mL in al...
