Experimental evaluation of cortical screw placement in lag fashion into the distal phalanx in standing horses.
Abstract: The objectives of this in vivo experimental study were to evaluate the feasibility of cortical screw insertion into the intact distal phalanx in standing sedated horses and to document potential postoperative complications. One cortical screw was randomly inserted in lag fashion into each distal phalanx in 9 horses. The second surgery on the contralateral limbs was performed 2-3 weeks after the first operation, when a 4.5-mm cortical screw was inserted in lag fashion into the distal phalanx of sedated horses following perineural analgesia. Following surgery, the drill hole was filled with an antibiotic-soaked swab, which was changed every 48 h. The horses were euthanised 8 weeks after the second surgery. The hooves were disarticulated and evaluated macroscopically and by computed tomography. The surgery time was 13.9 ± 4.8 min (mean ± SD). Pain scores and lameness gradually decreased after 7 days. Solar canal penetration (SCP) was detected in 10 out of the 18 distal phalanges (55.5%). In 7 out of the 10 penetrations intraoperative bleeding was obvious. No postoperative infection was observed. Screw insertion into the distal phalanx was easily and quickly accomplished in standing horses, but its advantages in horses with sagittal fractures should be investigated further. SCP had no impact on postoperative lameness.
Publication Date: 2021-01-15 PubMed ID: 33459614DOI: 10.1556/004.2020.00054Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research aims to study the feasibility and potential complications of inserting cortical screws into the distal phalanx in horses while they are standing and sedated.
Method of Research
- The study was carried out in an in vivo experimental context with nine horses participating.
- In each horse, a cortical screw was inserted randomly into the distal phalanx – the furthest bone in the extremities of a horse’s hoof.
- Each horse had a second surgery on the contralateral limbs, or limbs on the other side of the body, 2-3 weeks after the initial operation. During this procedure, a 4.5-mm cortical screw was used.
- Horses were sedated before the surgery and perineural analgesia, a type of nerve block, was administered to control pain.
- After the surgery, an antibiotic-soaked swab was inserted into the drill hole created for the screw insertion. This was changed every 48 hours to prevent infection.
- Eight weeks after the second surgery, the horses were euthanized and their hooves were disarticulated, or separated at the joints, for evaluation.
Findings
- The macroscopic and computed tomography evaluations of the hooves showed that the surgical procedure took an average of approximately 14 minutes.
- Pain scores and lameness in the horses decreased gradually over the course of a week after surgery.
- Solar canal penetration (SCP), a potential complication where the screw penetrates a structural channel in the horse’s hoof, occurred in nearly 56% of the cases. In 70% of these cases, intraoperative bleeding was observed.
- No postoperative infections were detected, possibly due to the use of antibiotic-soaked swabs in the drill holes.
- Despite the occurrence of SCP, this complication did not seem to have any impact on postoperative lameness in the horses.
Conclusion
- The study draws the conclusion that cortical screw insertion into the distal phalanx can be easily and quickly performed in standing, sedated horses.
- Further investigations are recommended to explore the benefits of this surgical approach in treating horses with sagittal fractures.
- The research also indicates that while SCP is a common occurrence, it does not appear to affect postoperative lameness in the horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Izing S, Béni D, Molnár S, Bakos Z, Bodó G.
(2021).
Experimental evaluation of cortical screw placement in lag fashion into the distal phalanx in standing horses.
Acta Vet Hung, 68(4), 399-404.
https://doi.org/10.1556/004.2020.00054 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department and Clinic of Equine Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary.
- Department and Clinic of Equine Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary.
- Department and Clinic of Equine Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary.
- Department and Clinic of Equine Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary.
- Department and Clinic of Equine Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone Screws / veterinary
- Bone and Bones
- Forelimb / surgery
- Fractures, Bone / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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