Repair of digital flexor tendon lacerations in the horse, using carbon fiber implants.

This research looks at how flexible medical grade carbon fiber implants were used to help repair tendon lacerations in horses and assesses their effectiveness in returning the animals back to normal function.

Methodology

• The study was conducted on 13 horses, ranging in age from 15 months to 10 years and weighing between 300 to 500 kg.
• These horses had either tenectomized or lacerated superficial and deep digital flexor tendons and needed surgical intervention.
• Medical grade carbon fiber was surgically implanted into their tendons.
• Out of the total, 7 were clinical cases, while 6 were experimental.
• The experimental horses were euthanatized at intervals of 30, 45, 60, 90 days for gross and histological evaluation.
• Three of the experimental horses served as their own controls.

Findings & Conclusion

• Out of the 7 clinically affected horses, 3 had to be euthanatized due to development of laminitis or failure of the wound to heal.
• The other 4 horses in this group were discharged, with 3 returning to their previous activities and 1 unavailable for follow-up.
• The carbon fiber implants seem to mimic the normal tendon, both in size and function.
• From a histological point of view, the early stages of healing saw the fibroblasts and collagen fibers in the implant organizing and aligning themselves.
• The implants not only looked like regular tendons but also seemed to produce a strong, robust, and functional tendon infrastructure.
• Overall, the carbon fiber implants were found to be a suitable repair mechanism for tendon lacerations in horses, helping the majority of the clinically affected horses return to their previous levels of activity.