Nd:YAG laser-assisted modified Forssell’s procedure for treatment of cribbing (crib-biting) in horses.

The study presents the use of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser in a modified Forssell’s surgical process for treating cribbing or crib-biting behaviour in horses. A total of ten adult horses that demonstrated this stereotypic behavior underwent this surgery and none of them exhibited the cribbing behavior post-surgery.

Surgical Method and Participants

• This research was a retrospective clinical study conducted on ten adult horses that were observed to exhibit a stereotypical biting behavior

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• Data for the study was sourced from various places including medical records and telephone conversations with horse owners, trainers, and veterinarians.

The Surgical Procedure

• The surgery commenced with a 34-centimeter ventral median skin incision starting just in front of the larynx and it extended posteriorly.
• A 10-centimeter segment of the ventral branch of the spinal accessory nerve was then surgically removed using an Nd:YAG laser with a continuous pulse at 25 W and a contact, sculpted-fiber tip.
• After neurectomy, approximately 34-cm sections of the paired omohyoideus and sternothyrohyoideus muscles, starting 2 cm in front of the ventral aspect of the larynx, at the basihyoid bone, were removed using the Nd:YAG laser.

Results of the Surgery

• The study reported that the median age of the horses was 7 years, with an age range of 1 to 11 years old.
• It took a median time of 90 minutes to perform the surgery on each horse, with times ranging from 75 to 130 minutes.
• Long-term outcome (ranging from 7 to 72 months) was evaluated for all the horses in this study.
• All the horses ceased the cribbing behavior post-surgery and returned to their previous use.
• Four horses suffered complications, two of which were unrelated to the surgical site. However, all recovered fully.

Conclusion of the Study

• The research concluded that the surgical outcome was better than what had been previously published using a modified Forssell’s technique.
• According to the study findings, surgical treatment for cribbing by employing the Nd:YAG laser-assisted myectomy and neurectomy yielded an excellent prognosis for resolution of the stereotypical behavior, while ensuring minimal complications.