Arthroscopic removal of fractures of the lateral malleolus of the tibia in the tarsocrural joint: a retrospective study of 13 cases.

The research reviews outcomes of arthroscopic removal of fractures in the lower ankle (lateral malleolus) of horses, focusing on 13 cases admitted to a veterinary hospital over a decade. The study concludes that this surgical procedure allows a considerable number of horses to return to their full athletic capabilities.

Introduction

The arthroscopic surgery and treatment of fractures in horses’ lateral malleolus—an area at the lower part of their leg bones—are relatively explored areas in scientific literature. To address this, the researchers carried out a review of 13 cases treated at a private equine referral hospital over a 10-year stretch, from 1999 to 2009. The main objective was to assess the outcomes of arthroscopic removal of such fractures.

Methodology

• In their research, the authors reviewed hospital records and documented various aspects such as medical history of the horses, the origin of the fractures, limb affected, and details of all diagnostic tests and surgical reports.
• The team also collected performance information about the Thoroughbred horses that continued with racing after the surgery using an online database. They gathered data regarding the return to performance for those that did not race post-surgery or for non-Thoroughbred cases by consulting their owners and trainers.

Participants

• The study involved 13 horses, out of which 12 were Thoroughbreds. Among these, 9 were National Hunt racehorses, and the remaining 3 were Flat racehorses. The other horse studied was a general-purpose riding horse.
• All participating horses had suffered an acute unilateral fracture.

Findings

• The follow-up period on 11 of the 13 horses ran over 6 months post-operation, with all horses exhibiting no symptoms of lameness.
• Among the group of Thoroughbred horses, 10 raced again post-surgery a total of 104 times, with a median of 5 times per horse.
• The median timeframe from surgery to racing again fell at 241 days, within a range of 180 to 366 days.

Conclusion

From their findings, the researchers inferred that horses with lateral malleolus fractures have a high likelihood of resuming full athletic performance following arthroscopic surgical debridement. Thus, they recommend arthroscopic fragment removal as an appropriate treatment method for such fractures.