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.
Ellis PM.An accurate modified auscultatory technique for the indirect measurement of arterial pressure in the horse is described. Limitations of the method were sensitivity to external motion in nervous, conscious horses, and the failure to detect Korotkoff sounds in shocked, anaesthetized surgical cases. The apparatus required for the method is expensive and is probably impractical for routine monitoring during anaesthesia.
Steward SK, McKee HM, Watson AM, Salman MD, Hassel DM.Colic remains the number one cause of mortality in horses, and large colon displacement including colonic volvulus is one of the leading causes for equine hospitalization and surgery. Currently, there is not an adequate model to study the pathophysiology of this condition. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to determine if subserosal implantation of bioinert microchips in the large intestine would be detectable by a RFID (radio-frequency identification) receiver when the implanted microchips were adjacent to the body wall, thus identifying the location of the colon within the abd...
Porter EG, Cuddy LC, Graham AS, Reese DJ, Porter MB, Morton AJ, Lewis DD.A five-week-old American Quarter Horse colt was presented for evaluation of a left hindlimb deformity and lameness. Radiographs of the left hindlimb revealed a varus deformity with recurvatum originating in the mid-diaphysis of the third metatarsal bone. Surgical correction was undertaken by performing an osteotomy through the centre of rotation of angulation located within the mid-diaphysis of the third metatarsal bone, and a four-ring hinged circular external fixator construct was applied. Distraction of the osteotomy site was performed over an 11 day period. Notable complications included f...
Walmsley EA, Anderson GA, Adkins AR.Determine the long-term outcome for Thoroughbreds undergoing desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon (DAL-DDFT) for type 1 flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ). Methods: Retrospective matched cohort study Methods: Medical records were retrieved over a 17-year period for Thoroughbreds that underwent DAL-DDFT for type 1 flexural deformity. Long-term outcome was determined by analysis of race records and comparison with maternal siblings. Comparisons between cases and controls included 2-year-old, 3-year-old and total career performance data....
Tsuzuki N, Seo JP, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.A 13-month-old Thoroughbred filly was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the medial tibial malleolus. A sponge impregnated with platelet-rich plasma, bone morphogenetic protein-2, mesenchymal stem cells and gelatin β-tricalcium phosphate was applied to the OCD site following arthroscopy and debridement. Postoperative radiography (every week for 16 weeks), computed tomography (CT) (16 weeks postoperatively), arthroscopy (16 weeks postoperatively) and biopsy of the regenerated tissue (16 weeks postoperatively) were performed to evaluate the outcome. Radiographically, the defect b...
Kirker-Head CA, Kerwin PJ, Steckel RR, Rubin CT.Liquid metal strain gauges (LMSG) were implanted surgically at three locations on the intact linea alba (LA) in eight horses. LA strain, strain rate, change in strain and stress were recorded during general anaesthesia, recovery from anaesthesia, standing, vocalisation, rectal palpation and at the walk, trot and canter. LA stress was quantitated using an in vitro tensiometric technique. Stress-strain responses differed significantly (P < 0.05) with location, but each described a characteristic relationship for viscoelastic tissues. Maximum peak stress, peak strain and change in strain occurred...
Zamos DT, Honnas CM, Hoffman AG.Arthroscopic examination of structures within the plantar pouch of the tarsocrural joint was accomplished via portals in both the plantaromedial and plantarolateral aspects of the joint. Flexion and extension of the tarsus while examining the joint through either portal allowed observation of the proximal and plantar aspects of the lateral and medial trochlear ridges, the trochlear groove, the caudal aspect of the distal tibia, and the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in its sheath. From a plantarolateral portal, the plantar talocalcaneal ligament and the plantar aspect of the lateral malleol...
Barrett EJ, Munsterman AS, Hanson RR, Jackson RL.To compare in vitro strength and failure characteristics of a tendon implant against a 3 loop pulley suture pattern for equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) laceration repair. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Cadaveric equine forelimb SDFT (n = 16). Methods: One tendon of each of 8 pair of SDFT was randomly selected for repair with either the 3-loop pulley (3LP) suture pattern using 2 polydioxanone or with 4 stainless steel suture and anchor implants (SA). Ultimate load to failure, mode of failure, gap at failure, and load to 2 mm gap were obtained using a materials testing sys...
Gustafsson K, Tatz AJ, Dahan R, Kelmer G.Case history: Medical records were reviewed of horses (n = 7) undergoing surgery for fracture of one or more facial bones extending into the paranasal sinuses that was repaired primarily within 24 hours of the time of injury using a rotational periosteal flap, between April 2009 and May 2017. A kick from another horse was the cause of the injury of three horses, and one horse was injured when it collided with a tree. The cause of the injury of three horses was unknown.Clinical findings and treatment: Fractures were of the right maxillary bone in two horses, the left maxillary bone in two h...
Schumacher J, Bratton GR, Williams JW.The pudendal and caudal rectal nerves in four male and five female adult crossbred horses were anesthetized with a local solution. The injection site was located at the foramen for the caudal gluteal artery and vein in the sacrosciatic ligament. Twenty milliliters of local anesthetic solution were injected via a 15-cm, 18-gauge needle. Quantitative data on anesthesia were determined from these injections. Dye was injected with the anesthetic in four additional horses so that accurate placement of the solution could be determined at postmortem examination. Satisfactory anesthesia of the anus, p...
Woodie JB, Ruggles AJ, Litsky AS.To evaluate 2 methods of midbody proximal sesamoid bone repair--fixation by a screw placed in lag fashion and circumferential wire fixation--by comparing yield load and the adjacent soft-tissue strain during monotonic loading. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: 10 paired equine cadaver forelimbs from race-trained horses. Methods: A transverse midbody osteotomy of the medial proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) was created. The osteotomy was repaired with a 4.5-mm cortex bone screw placed in lag fashion or a 1.25-mm circumferential wire. The limbs were instrumented with differential variable relucta...
McMullen RJ, Gilger BC, Michau TM.To describe a surgical modification of deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) and posterior lamellar keratoplasty (PLK) procedures, to facilitate surgery on standing horses under-sedation. Methods: Four client-owned horses, for which the owners declined surgery under general anesthesia, underwent standing corneal lamellar keratoplasty procedures for the treatment of deep corneal stromal abscesses. Methods: All four horses were placed in stocks and sedated with detomidine. Local eyelid and retrobulbar blocks were performed to provide local analgesia and akinesia, and each horse's head wa...
Radcliffe RM, Messiaen Y, Irby NL, Divers TJ, Dewey CW, Mitchell KJ, Schnabel LV, Bezuidenhout AJ, Scrivani PV, Ducharme NG.To report a transnasal, endoscopically guided ventral surgical approach for accessing the cranial and caudal segments of the sphenopalatine sinus for mass removal in a horse. Methods: Case report. Methods: Adult horse with acute onset blindness referable to a soft tissue mass within the sphenopalatine sinus. Methods: A 7-year-old Warmblood gelding presented with a history of running into a fence and falling. No neurologic signs were identified at initial examination but acute blindness was noted 3 weeks later. On computed tomography (CT) the sphenopalatine sinus was filled with a large homogen...
Gracia-Calvo LA, Martín-Cuervo M, Jiménez J, Vieítez V, Argüelles D, Durán ME, Ezquerra J.To develop an experimental standing hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (HALS) technique, report the associated peri-operative complications and document the short-term surgical outcomes. Results: Five healthy 300-470 kg horses that underwent standing HALS. Spleens of different weights (2.25-7.0 kg) were removed using this technique. The main complication during surgery was difficulty sectioning the gastrosplenic ligament. The postoperative complications included adhesions of the colon to the nephrosplenic ligament stump and incisional discharge in two horses. Conclusions: Standing HALS...
Thomas AL, Schramme MC, Lepage OM, Segard EM.An awareness of magnetic susceptibility artifacts is important for interpreting prepurchase and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in horses. These artifacts occur when a metallic or a paramagnetic substance creates a local magnetic field deformity. Aims of the current experimental study were to determine prevalence of these artifacts after arthroscopy in a sample of nonlame horses, and to describe effects of time and type of pulse sequence on low-field MRI signal intensity and detection of the artifacts. Ten, nonlame Standardbred horses were prospectively recruited. All ho...
Modesto RB, Rodgerson DH, Masciarelli AE, Spirito M.This retrospective study describes placement of distal radial transphyseal screws in Thoroughbred yearlings with carpal varus deformities while standing, and identifes short- and long-term complications following the procedure. Data gathered from 2009 to 2013 identified 8 yearlings that met the inclusion criteria. Horses were sedated intravenously and a single 4.5-mm cortical screw was placed in the distal lateral radial physis following application of local anesthetic and surgical preparation of a pre-placed hole. All horses were evaluated weekly after surgery and screw removal was performed ...
Satoh M, Higuchi T, Inoue S, Gotoh T, Murase H, Nambo Y.This is a retrospective study of uterine torsion (UT) in seven mares. In two cases, serum progesterone and estradiol concentrations were also investigated. The mare and foal/fetus survival rate was 57% (4/7). Four cases presented with clockwise torsion, and two cases presented with counterclockwise torsion. The direction was undetermined in one case. The degree of torsion varied. Correction of torsion was performed by ventral midline celiotomy in all cases. In the two cases with measured hormone levels, elevated levels of P were decreased through medication. All mares discharged from the hospi...
Hall NP, Ragle CA, Farnsworth KD, Caffey SR, Sanclemente JL.To describe a technique for basihyoid-ceratohyoid disarticulation (BCD) in standing sedated horses affected by temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO) and report outcomes for horses that underwent the procedure. Methods: 6 client-owned horses. Methods: Electronic medical records of a veterinary teaching hospital were searched to identify horses that underwent BCD for treatment of THO from 2018 to 2019. Signalment, clinical data, use of the horse, and complications were recorded. Follow-up data obtained by telephone interview with owners included the clinical outcome and time to improvement after s...
Forster HV, Pan LG, Flynn C, Bisgard GE.The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was any recovery of the Hering-Breuer inflation reflex in ponies between 2-4 wk and 3-4 yr after hilar nerve denervation (HND). Under anesthesia and before HND, airway occlusion after a 3-liter lung inflation lengthened the subsequent occluded breath by nearly 10 times the control breath duration. Between 2 wk and 3-4 yr after HND, this maneuver increased the duration of the occluded breath by only 2.5 times the control breath duration. Also under anesthesia, the airway was occluded at end expiration. This maneuver increased the duration...
Salinger A, Mochal-King C, Clinton K, Priddy LB, Elder S, Fontenot R, Eddy A, Wills R, Jaffe M.Frontal plane slab fractures account for the majority of third carpal bone (C3) fractures in racing and performance horses. Recommended treatment is stabilization with a lagged AO cortical screw. Associated complications are fragment splitting, fragment spinning, and irritation of dorsal soft tissue structures. A novel, headless, cannulated screw with interlocking threads the Headless Compression Screw Fastener (HCSF) has been developed to resist multidirectional forces and bending moments; however, it has not been applied in the horse. Simulated C3 frontal plane slab fractures were created in...
Gandini M, Giusto G.In jejunocaecal anastomosis leaving a necrotic ileal stump has been implicated in complications and poor outcomes. Elective inversion of the necrotic stump using a nasogastric tube has been previously described, although this procedure can be cumbersome and can cause caecocolic orifice occlusion. Objective: To describe the use of a new device for elective inversion of necrotic ileal stumps. Methods: Case report. Methods: Details of the four horses that underwent intestinal resection and anastomosis with elective inversion of the ileal stump were retrieved from their medical records. For each c...
The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of an equine pericardial patch for repairing full-thickness defects of the stomach wall. Methods: Circular defects, 1.5 cm in diameter, were created on the anterior wall of the stomach of 12 female New Zealand rabbits. The defects were repaired by an equine pericardial patch. After euthanasia at different time intervals (3 days to 8 weeks) a macroscopic evaluation of the abdominal cavity (including adhesion scoring), mechanical testing and a histological examination of the stomach were performed. Results: The animals survived the surgical pr...
Honnas CM, Zamos DT, Ford TS.An arthroscopic procedure for examination of the coxofemoral joint was developed in nine foals (four cadavers, five anesthetized) to determine if access was sufficient for evaluation and surgical treatment of intra-articular lesions. The joint was distended and the arthroscope inserted through the notch (incisura trochanterica) between the cranial and caudal parts of the greater trochanter. This portal allowed examination of the cranial, lateral, and caudal aspects of the joint. Mechanical distraction of the joint through an instrument portal located 2 to 4 cm cranial and 1 to 2 cm ventral to ...
Hinchcliff KW, Macdonald DR, Lindsay WA.The relationship between pedicle flap width and viable length was characterised for skin flaps of the flank in ponies. Four dorsally based, pedicle type skin flaps of 20 cm in length and 3, 6, 9 or 12 cm in width were created in a random sequence on one flank in each of 10 ponies. Flap survival length was assessed by skin texture and appearance, depilation of hair and wound healing at 14 days after surgery. There was considerable variation between animals in the viable length of flaps of the same width; however, a significant difference in the viable length of flaps of different widths was det...
Grulke S, Gangl M, Deby-Dupont G, Caudron I, Deby C, Serteyn D.Gastrointestinal disorders in horses leading to endotoxic shock could have further consequences on other splanchnic organs such as the pancreas, as can be seen in humans suffering from septic shock. In this study, the range of enzymatically active trypsin (EAT) in healthy horses was established and is similar to the range observed in healthy humans. EAT values were determined in horses with acute abdominal crises on admission as well as during anaesthesia and in the postoperative phase. A significant increase in plasma EAT was found in 59% of the horses with surgical colic when compared to our...
Jarry J, De Raeve Y, Dugdale A, Simon V, Vandeweerd JM.Severe ophthalmic conditions such as trauma, uveitis, corneal damage, or neoplasia can lead to eye removal surgery. Poor cosmetic appearance resulting from the sunken orbit ensues. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing a custom-made 3D-printed orbital implant made of biocompatible material for the enucleated horse and usable in conjunction to a corneoscleral shell. Blender, a 3D-image software, was used for prototype design. Twelve cadaver heads of adult Warmbloods were collected from the slaughterhouse. On each head, one eye was removed via a modified trans...
Turner AS, Trotter GW, Powers BE.Bilateral palmar and plantar digital neurectomies were completed in 10 horses (a total of 80 neurectomies) using one of three methods: (1) simple transection (guillotine method); (2) epineural capping; (3) n-butyl cyanoacrylate injected into the epineural sheath to act as a nerve sealant. Horses were regularly evaluated clinically for tenderness in and around the surgical site, as well as skin sensation at the coronary band in the heel region, during the 12-week course of the study. None of the surgical sites exhibited any signs of drainage or infection. Horses were then euthanatized, the nerv...
Devick IF, Hendrickson DA.There is risk of dropping an amputated ovary within the abdomen during standing laparoscopic ovariectomies in mares. If the ovary can no longer be directly visualized with the laparoscope, the procedure is then converted to a flank laparotomy for manual retrieval of the ovary which negates the minimally invasive nature of the laparoscopic procedure. The objective was to identify if ovaries left in the abdomen after amputation would atrophy or if they re-vascularize. Standing bilateral ovariectomies were performed in mature mares, but after transection of the ovarian pedicle, the ovaries were i...
Galloway SS, Earley ET.Oral extraction has become the most popular extraction technique owing to its high rate of success with minimal major complication. Repulsion continues to produce unacceptably high iatrogenic complication rates. To avoid tooth repulsion, veterinary dentists have introduced procedures to facilitate difficult intraoral extractions and surgical extraction techniques. Minimizing complications is best achieved preoperatively. A comprehensive preoperative evaluation and treatment plan allows the dentist to predict intraoperative complication and prepare for procedures to produce the best outcome. Wi...
Freeman DE, Donawick WJ, Klein LV.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 ...
Guarino C, Pinn-Woodcock T, Levine DG, Miller J, Johnson AL.Cases of cranial nuchal bursitis associated with infection have not been thoroughly described. Here, we describe the case of a 17-year-old mare that was presented for low head carriage, dull demeanor, and resistance to haltering. Imaging supported a diagnosis of nuchal bursitis, and bursoscopy with surgical debridement of the nuchal bursa was performed. was identified by molecular diagnostics in serial samples of the bursal fluid, with no other organisms identified. Serology revealed significant elevation in antibodies directed against OspA of , but not the typical infection markers, OspC an...
