Navicular suspensory desmotomy in the treatment of navicular disease: technique and preliminary results.

The research article describes a surgical technique called navicular suspensory desmotomy, designed for treating navicular disease in horses and discusses the initial results found in sixteen horses.

Technique of Navicular Suspensory Desmotomy

The researchers in this paper provide a detailed explanation of the surgical technique known as navicular suspensory desmotomy. This is a procedure intended to treat navicular disease, a common condition in horses that impacts their ability to walk. The researchers delve into the conceptual reasoning behind the development of this technique.

• Navicular disease causes discomfort and lameness in horses due to inflammation or damage to the navicular bone and associated structures in the horse’s hoof.
• Navicular suspensory desmotomy is a surgical procedure designed to alleviate these symptoms by removing tension on the navicular bone. This is achieved by surgically severing certain ligaments or tendons that apply stress on the navicular bone.

Preliminary Results

The second part of the article highlights the preliminary results observed in sixteen horses that underwent this surgical procedure. These horses were clinically evaluated six months post-surgery, which is a typical timeframe to examine the effectiveness of the intervention.

• Out of the sixteen horses that were treated and assessed, thirteen were found to have recovered successfully, showing no signs of lameness and were able to work as usual, indicating a positive outcome for the majority of cases.
• However, it’s noted that these results are preliminary, and larger-scale studies may be necessary to conclusively prove the effectiveness of navicular suspensory desmotomy as a treatment for navicular disease.