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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.
Penetrating lingual foreign bodies in three horses. Three horses examined for complaints of ptyalism and dysphagia were found to have metallic lingual foreign bodies. Metallic foreign bodies were located by oral examination combined with radiography. In 1 horse clinical signs resolved without removal of the foreign body. The foreign body was extracted via an oral approach in the second horse; a mandibular symphysiotomy and radiographic guidance were necessary for removal in the third horse. In all 3 cases, the presenting clinical signs subsided.
Incarceration of the small intestine in the epiploic foramen. Report of 19 cases (1983-1992). The medical records of 19 horses referred for colic and subsequently found (18 confirmed, 1 suspected) to have small intestinal incarceration through the epiploic foramen were reviewed. These horses were of various ages and breeds; they had clinical signs of colic for an average duration of 13.5 hours before examination. Seventeen horses had nasogastric reflux, and 15 had palpable small intestinal distention. Three horses were killed during surgery because of severe intestinal damage. Of the remaining 16 horses, 13 required intestinal resection and anastomosis. The length of incarcerated small...
Partial arytenoidectomy in the horse using an extralaryngeal approach. An extralaryngeal approach to partial arytenoidectomy in the horse was developed by in vitro experiments on isolated larynges and then on intact equine cadavers. The goals of the approach were to preserve the laryngeal mucosa, eliminate the need for a laryngotomy or tracheotomy, and minimize postoperative complications. The new approach was evaluated in seven horses with normal upper respiratory tracts. Left laryngeal hemiplegia was surgically created, and, after a 30-day convalescence, left partial arytenoidectomy was performed using an extralaryngeal approach. The left-to-right hemilaryngeal...
Small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder in a horse. Small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder was diagnosed in a 14-year-old, 569-kg, castrated Quarter Horse. The incarceration was corrected by ventral midline celiotomy. Approximately 70 cm of the middle portion of the jejunum was resected and end-to-end, single-layer anastomosis was performed. After surgery, the horse developed signs of adynamic ileus and lameness in the right forelimb. The horse developed laminitis in all 4 feet within 24 hours of surgery. The horse was euthanatized because of poor prognosis for survival. At necropsy, a 4.5-cm rent was...
Effects of holmium:YAG laser on equine articular cartilage and subchondral bone adjacent to traumatic lesions: a histopathological assessment. This study was performed to investigate the effects of holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser energy on articular cartilage and subchondral bone adjacent to traumatically created cartilage lesions in a continuous weight-bearing model. The 2.1-microns wavelength was delivered efficiently and precisely in hand-controlled contact and near-contact hard tissue arthroscopic surgery in a saline medium. Bilateral arthroscopy was performed on normal antebrachiocarpal and intercarpal joints of four adult horses. One hundred twenty traumatic lesions were created on three weight-bearing articular ...
Equine ulcerative keratitis. Ulcerative keratitis is one of the most common vision-threatening diseases of the horse. Successful therapy, however, can be achieved in the majority of cases provided the diagnosis is made early and the treatment is specific for the disease. This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical signs, and contemporary medical and surgical approaches to bacterial and fungal ulcerative keratitis in the horse.
Eyelid and nasolacrimal disease. An understanding of normal structure and function of the equine eyelid is essential to make an accurate diagnosis and appropriately treat equine eyelid diseases. Entropion, eyelid trauma, neoplasia, and nasolacrimal disorders are reviewed. Methods of diagnosis and treatment are presented.
Ocular cosmetic and prosthetic devices. Specific details on surgical procedures, although not covered here, are available in other references. Factors enhancing the overall cosmetic appearance obtained with procedures are emphasized, providing information that should allow veterinarians to offer clients a good cosmetic appearance and effective treatment for disfiguring ocular problems in their horses. Questions regarding procedures should be addressed to your referral ophthalmologist or, in the case of a corneoscleral prosthesis, the ocularist assisting.
Diagnosis and treatment of lens diseases. The lens represents a unique tissue in light of its embryologic development, retention of old cells and nuclear make-up, transparent nature, immune privileged status, and metabolic restrictions. Disorders of malformation and malposition occur, but cataract development is the most common and significant problem for owners and animals. Technologic and pharmacologic advances have allowed surgical removal of equine cataracts to become an acceptable alternative, capable of returning a visually impaired horse to a functional status. Uveal inflammation represents the greatest threat to successful sur...
Obstructive enterolith in an 11-month-old miniature horse. An obstructive enterolith was diagnosed in an 11-month-old 68-kg miniature horse with a 24-hour history of mild, intermittent colic. Abdominal radiography revealed gas distention of the cecum and the right and left ascending colon, and a radiodense elliptical structure in the area of the left kidney. During exploratory laparotomy, the right dorsal colon was noticed to contain ecchymotic hemorrhage and generalized discoloration in the portion proximal to the location of the enterolith. While exteriorizing the ascending colon, it ruptured caudal to the diaphragmatic flexure in the right dorsal c...
A retrospective study of 192 horses affected with septic arthritis/tenosynovitis. The medical records of 192 horses with septic arthritis/tenosynovitis 1979-1989 were reviewed. Forty-three horses developed infection after an intra-articular injection, 46 following a penetrating wound, 25 following surgery, 66 were foals less than 6 months old, and 12 were adult horses without a known aetiology. Haematogenous infection of a joint occurs in adult horses and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in horses with an acute onset of severe lameness. The aetiology of the infection had a significant effect on the type of bacteria identified by culture. Staphylococcus was c...
Arthroscopic surgery for osteochondritis dissecans of the femoropatellar joint of the horse. Arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans was undertaken on 252 femoropatellar joints in 161 horses (82 Thoroughbreds, 39 Quarter Horses, 16 Arabians, 9 Warmbloods and 15 others of various breeds). There were 53 females and 108 males. Twenty-two horses were 1 year of age at the time of surgery, 68 were yearlings, 36 were 2-year-olds, 21 were 3-year-olds, and 14 were > or = 4 years old. Ninety-one had bilateral involvement and 70 had unilateral disease. Follow-up information was obtained on 134 horses, including 79 racehorses and 55 non-racehorses: 86 (64%) of these...
Epiglottic augmentation by use of polytetrafluoroethylene to correct dorsal displacement of the soft palate in a standardbred horse. A 2-year-old 400-kg Standardbred colt with a history of exercise intolerance was determined to have dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). Standing endoscopy revealed a soft, flaccid, and hypoplastic epiglottis and arytenoid cartilages that moved symmetrically and abducted fully. Lateral laryngeal radiography was used to calculate a corrected thyroepiglottic length of 6.48 cm. Videoendoscopy during exercise on a high-speed treadmill at standardized treadmill speeds was performed weekly for 3 consecutive weeks. The soft palate dorsally displaced at each examination. A sternohyoideus/ste...
Open drainage, intra-articular and systemic antibiotics in the treatment of septic arthritis/tenosynovitis in horses. Open drainage was used to treat 26 horses with persistent or severe septic arthritis/tenosynovitis. Infected synovial structures were drained through a small (3 cm) arthrotomy incision that was left open and protected by a sterile bandage. Joint lavage was performed in all 26 horses. In addition to systemic antibiotics, 23 of these horses were also treated with intra-articular antibiotics; amikacin (17 horses), gentamycin (2 horses), cefazolin (2 horses), and 2 horses were injected at different times with gentamycin and amikacin. The infection was eliminated from the involved synovial structur...
Outcome of treatment in 23 horses with progressive ethmoidal haematoma. This paper describes the outcome of treatment in 23 horses with an ethmoidal haematoma. In 22 cases a diagnosis could be made by endoscopic means alone but in 1 horse the lesion was confined to the maxillary sinus and a diagnosis was made only at surgery. One horse was destroyed at the owner's request but the other 22 underwent radical excision of the lesion via a facial flap approach under general anaesthesia. Post-operative haemorrhage was controlled by nasal packing with a gauze bandage and this was removed between the 2nd and 4th post-operative day. One horse died from encephalitis the day...
Fractures of the lateral malleolus of the tibia in 16 horses. Clinical and radiological features of 16 horses with fractures of the lateral malleolus of the tibia are reported. The paper describes surgical techniques used, results obtained and discusses justification for removal. Fourteen fractures were unilateral and two bilateral. There was no left:right disparity. The history included a known traumatic incident in 14 cases. All animals had a tarsocrural joint effusion and 10 had palpable thickening of the lateral collateral ligaments. Crepitus was also palpable in 10 horses. The fracture was identified in all dorsoplantar and 14 of 18 dorsomedial-plan...
Pedunculated lipomas as a cause of intestinal obstruction in horses: 17 cases (1983-1990). The medical records of 17 horses that were evaluated and treated because of colic caused by pedunculated lipomas between 1983 and 1990 were reviewed. The mean age of the horses was 16.6 +/- 3.9 years (range, 10 to 26 years), which was significantly greater than that of the population of horses evaluated because of colic (control population) during the same period. There were significantly more geldings (76.5%), compared with the control population. Nasogastric reflux ranged from 1 to 16 L in 8 horses and was not obtained in 9 horses. Abdominal palpation per rectum revealed small intestinal dis...
Ionized calcium concentration in horses with surgically managed gastrointestinal disease: 147 cases (1988-1990). Packed cell volume, total plasma protein, serum sodium, potassium, and ionized Ca2+ concentrations, and blood pH were determined at the time of admission and following surgery in 147 horses with acute abdominal crisis. Horses were allotted to 3 categories on the basis of the surgical lesion: (1) nonstrangulating obstruction of the ascending or descending colon (category A, n = 76), (2) strangulating and nonstrangulating infarction of the cecum or ascending colon (category B, n = 37), and (3) strangulating and nonstrangulating infarction of the small intestine (category C, n = 25). Horses with ...
Bilateral ureterocystostomy in a 450-kg horse with ectopic ureters. A 450-kg yearling Clydesdale filly was determined to have bilateral ectopic ureters. The resulting incontinence caused severe malodorous perineal dermatitis. Bladder capacity was measured at 800 ml. The urethral sphincter lacked tone, and the horse was seen to urinate in a normal manner only 2 or 3 times a week. A midline celiotomy was performed, and the ureters were identified by cannulation from the ectopic openings. The ureters were ligated, and the cut ends were anastomosed to the dorsal bladder surface by an extravesicular end-to-side technique. A partial thickness seromuscular layer of t...
Arthroscopic removal of a palmar radial osteochondroma causing carpal canal syndrome in a horse. A 5-year-old Arabian stallion with moderate effusion in the right carpal canal and intermittent lameness in this limb was diagnosed to have an osteochondroma projecting from the distal portion of the radius into the carpal canal. oral phenylbutazone treatment over the next 3 years allowed the stallion to continue its show career. Right forelimb lameness returned at that time, and ultrasonography revealed the osteochondroma impinging on the dorsal surface of the deep digital flexor tendon. The owner elected to have the osteochondroma surgically removed. The horse was anesthetized, and the carpa...
Postanesthetic recumbency associated with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis in a quarter horse. Anesthesia and surgery in a Quarter Horse affected with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis resulted in euthanasia after 7 days of postoperative recumbency. Initial recovery was uneventful after extensive sinus surgery, but within 2 hours, the horse had severe muscle weakness. Plasma electrolyte concentrations were within the normal range during the period of recumbency. There was no clinical or laboratory evidence of severe muscle damage. Despite treatment with acetazolamide, isoproterenol, and intensive nursing, the horse was unable to stand for more than a few seconds and developed severe decub...
Ovarian mass in three mares with regular estrous cycles. Three mares with regular estrous cycles and a large ovary were examined. In each case, the ovary was composed of a single, fluid-filled cavity with a thick capsule. The ovarian mass was surgically removed from each mare. Histologic diagnosis of each mass was different.
Removal of nasogastric tube fragments from three horses. Three horses were admitted for retrieval of polyurethane nasogastric tube fragments. The fragments were removed from the esophagus or stomach of 2 horses by manipulation of a snare introduced through the biopsy port of an endoscope. The fragments were surgically removed from the stomach of the third horse.
Postsurgical ventricular tachycardia in a horse. A 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse developed ventricular tachycardia after elective laryngoplasty and ventriculectomy were performed while anesthesia was maintained with halothane. During surgery, the horse became febrile and developed transient mild hypercarbia. The horse was treated with an IV infusion of quinidine gluconate. Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring was used to evaluate cardiac rhythm during treatment, and conversion was achieved after 12 hours of IV infusion. The inciting cause for the arrhythmia was not determined.
An arthroscopic biopsy procedure for obtaining osteochondral samples from the equine midcarpal joint. An in vivo biopsy technique was developed to harvest cylindrical osteochondral core samples (2 mm diameter x 2 mm depth) from the articular surfaces of radial carpal bones in adult horses for use in osteoarthritis drug kinetic studies. A 25 degree arthroscope was introduced into the midcarpal joint through the dorsolateral surface, and a custom-built motorized core drill was introduced through the dorsomedial surface to create the osteochondral core samples. A total of 24 core samples were sequentially harvested in vivo, and 16 at postmortem, from eight horses on four different occasions withi...
Treatment of a mandibular bone cyst by use of a corticocancellous bone graft in a horse. A 1-year-old Appaloosa stallion had a mass on the right rostral hemimandible. The mass was firm, did not cause signs of pain, and was identified as a bone cyst by radiography and biopsy. Surgical correction included curettage of the cystic cavity and grafting the defect with both cortical and cancellous bone. By 5 months, the cystic cavity was ossifying; continued remodeling with an increase in bone density was apparent 22 months after surgery.
Stabilization of a proximal femoral physeal fracture in a filly by use of cancellous bone screws. A Salter-Harris type-II fracture of the proximal portion of the right femur in a 2-month-old filly was reduced and stabilized with three 6.5-mm-diameter, 100-mm-long cancellous bone screws through a dorsal approach to the right coxofemoral joint. The screws were removed after 11 months because the filly became lame in the affected limb. The surgical wounds dehisced despite preventive measures, most likely because of tightness of skin in the coxal region. Seven years after the original injury, the horse could perform vigorous paddock exercise without any disability. Early internal fixation of p...
Kinetics of healing of grafted and nongrafted wounds on the distal portion of the forelimbs of horses. Full-thickness, circular, cutaneous wounds (5 cm in diameter) were created on the distal portion of the forelimbs of 6 horses. One wound on each horse was treated with 6 full-thickness punch grafts that were obtained from the horse's neck with a 6-mm skin biopsy punch and inserted in the graft sites on day 14 after wounding. The wound on the contralateral limb was not grafted. A combination of ticarcillin disodium and clavulanate potassium was applied to the wounds when bandages were changed to control bacterial infection. Areas of each wound were measured on days 1, 7, 9, 11, 13 through 15, 1...
