Soft tissue injuries of the tarsocrural joint: a retrospective analysis of 30 cases evaluated arthroscopically.

This research paper discusses a retrospective analysis of 30 cases of soft tissue injuries of the tarsocrural joint in horses. The injuries were evaluated using arthroscopic surgery, with the study revealing valuable insights about the types and common combinations of these injuries.

Study Design and Methodology

• The study identifies all the horses that had undergone arthroscopic surgery of the tarsocrural joint within a time span of ten years.
• Of the identified cases, those with primary intra-articular soft tissue injuries were selected for in-depth analysis.
• This non-random selection of horses and the retrospective evaluation of the cases is crucial in defining the types, combinations, and frequency of various injuries within this joint.

Results and Findings

• From the identified 281 cases of tarsocrural joint arthroscopy, only 30 met the study’s inclusion criteria. Meaning, just over 11% of the cases involved soft tissue injuries in the joint.
• The study revealed that combination injuries were more common than injuries to a single structure. This insight can potentially direct future research and treatment strategies.
• The most common injuries were reported in the joint’s capsule and collateral ligaments. The study noted open communication between the tarsocrural joint and extensor bundle in seven cases, indicating a significant issue that clinicians need to watch out for during diagnostics and treatment.
• Notably, this study reveals an optimistic outlook, observing that after arthroscopic surgery and proper rehabilitation, around 81% of the studied horses successfully returned to their previous function levels. This finding emphasizes the practicality and beneficial consequences of arthroscopic evaluation and intervention.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• It was suggested that intra-articular soft tissue injuries could be responsible for localised clinical signs of inflammation in the tarsocrural joint of horses.
• Giving disrupted intra-articular soft tissues prominence in differential diagnoses assessments could improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment of lame horses showing signs of tarsocrural joint issues.
• The paper recommends attending clinicians to consider arthroscopic evaluation explicitly in cases where primary intra-articular soft tissue injuries are suspected to be causative. This recommendation is based on the high success rate of diagnosing and treating these injuries via arthroscopic surgery.