Femoral head ostectomy in horses and cattle.

The research examined the outcomes of performing femoral head ostectomy – a surgical procedure that involves removing the head of the femur, in horses and cattle due to various joint issues. The procedure showed promise in helping young cattle and light-weight horses and ponies to improve their locomotion, despite post-surgery lameness issues.

Objective and Method

• The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of femoral head ostectomy in large animals as a treatment for various hip/joint disorders such as fractures of the femoral capital physis, coxofemoral luxation, fractured acetabulum, or severe degenerative joint disease.
• The researchers executed this procedure on a group of – six horses, three ponies, and four cattle. They used a cranial approach for the procedure, bypassing the need to perform an osteotomy of the greater trochanter, a large, prominent bump on the outer part of the femur. A dorsal approach, which involves the osteotomy of the greater trochanter, was only evaluated in three healthy ponies.

Results

• Three animals were euthanized within a month postoperatively, and another horse was euthanized two years after the procedure because of complications.
• Nine animals were discharged and returned to their functions such as breeding, milking or living as pets. Six of these animals carried out their intended functions post-surgery.
• However, these surviving animals had residual lameness, as reported by the owners, and the horses were no longer used for riding.
• Animals that regained weight-bearing locomotion were, on average, 3.1 months old and weighed 84 kg, while unsuccessful cases were older and heavier (average of 34 months and 174 kg).

Conclusions

• The study concluded that femoral head ostectomy could serve as a viable treatment procedure for large animals suffering from capital femoral physeal fracture, chronic coxofemoral luxation, or acetabular fracture.
• The surgical prognosis appeared better in cases involving young cattle or lightweight horses or ponies (less than 100kg).
• The researchers also found that osteotomy of the greater trochanter allowed for a better view of the intact coxofemoral joint, thereby enabling a less damaging luxation of the joint to facilitate femoral head ostectomy.