Microvasculature of the suspensory ligament of the forelimb of horses.
Abstract: To determine the microvascular anatomy of the suspensory ligament of the forelimb of horses. Methods: 17 cadaveric forelimbs from 9 adult horses with no known history of forelimb lameness. Methods: The median artery of the forelimb was cannulated proximal to the antebrachiocarpal joint and injected with contrast medium for CT evaluation of the gross vasculature (n = 2) or India ink to evaluate the microvasculature (12). Routine histologic evaluation was performed on an additional 3 forelimbs to confirm the microvascular anatomy. Results: The vascular supply of the suspensory ligament of the forelimb originated from branches of the medial and lateral palmar and palmar metacarpal vessels as well as the proximal and distal deep palmar arches. An abundant, longitudinally oriented microvascular supply was evident throughout the length of the suspensory ligament without distinct variation among the proximal, midbody, and distal regions. The intraligamentous blood supply originated from a periligamentous vascular plexus that surrounded the suspensory ligament throughout its length. Histologic findings indicated the presence of a periligamentous connective tissue plexus, which contained vessels that penetrated and anastomosed with an extensive network of intraligamentous vessels throughout the length of the suspensory ligament. Conclusions: The suspensory ligament of the equine forelimb had an abundant intraligamentous microvascular supply throughout its entire length. The absence of an obvious hypovascular area suggested that regional variations in healing rates of the suspensory ligament are not associated with the microvascular anatomy.
Publication Date: 2013-11-28 PubMed ID: 24274884DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.74.12.1481Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research conducted a detailed study of the microvascular system within the suspensory ligament of the horse forelimb to understand its structure and the origin of its blood supply. Discovering that the ligament has a rich microvascular supply throughout, it concluded that variations in healing rates of this ligament do not relate to the microvascular anatomy.
Methods
- The researchers used 17 forelimbs from 9 adult horses that did not have any history of forelimb lameness.
- They injected the median artery of the forelimb with either a contrast medium for CT scans or Indian ink to observe the gross vasculature and microvasculature respectively.
- An additional 3 forelimbs underwent routine histologic evaluation to affirm the microvascular structure.
Results
- The results connected the ligament’s vascular supply to branches from the medial and lateral palmar, palmar metacarpal vessels and proximal and distal deep palmar arches.
- There was a consistent, abundant supply of blood through longitudinally oriented microvessels in the entire length of the ligament, with no pronounced variation between proximal, midbody, and distal regions.
- A peri-ligamentous vascular plexus, a network of blood vessels surrounding the suspensory ligament, was found to be the source of intraligamentous blood.
- Upon examining the histological results, the researchers discovered a peri-ligamentous connective tissue plexus that had penetrating vessels connected to a wide intraligamentous network throughout the ligament.
Conclusions
- The suspensory ligament of the equine forelimb had a significant intraligamentous microvascular supply throughout its length.
- There was no hypovascular (inadequate blood supply) region detected, suggesting that the microvascular anatomy does not influence the regional variations in the healing rates of the suspensory ligament.
Cite This Article
APA
Williams MR, Arnoczky SP, Pease AP, Stick JA.
(2013).
Microvasculature of the suspensory ligament of the forelimb of horses.
Am J Vet Res, 74(12), 1481-1486.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.74.12.1481 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Contrast Media / administration & dosage
- Forelimb / anatomy & histology
- Histological Techniques / veterinary
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Ligaments / blood supply
- Microvessels / diagnostic imaging
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Guest DJ, Birch HL, Thorpe CT. A review of the equine suspensory ligament: Injury prone yet understudied. Equine Vet J 2025 Sep;57(5):1167-1182.
- Nowicka B, Torres A, Polkowska I, Jackow-Nowicka J, Przewozny M, Jackow-Malinowska J. Concentrations of Selected Adipocytokines in the Blood Plasma in Proximal Suspensory Desmopathy of Horses, with a Focus on Their Physical Activity-A Pilot Study. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Dec 22;25(1).
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