Techniques and Indications for Intraoperative Ultrasound in Horses.

The research study is about the application and effectiveness of intraoperative ultrasound in performing surgery on horses for various conditions.

Study Methodology

• This research involved a retrospective review of surgeries done on a total of 113 horses in two equine hospitals between 2007 and 2013.
• The criteria for surgeries reviewed were that they involved the use of ultrasound as a guiding tool. The information retrieved included the diagnosis, reasons for using ultrasound, technique employed, and the type of surgical procedure performed (examples provided were synovial endoscopy, cut-down, resection, dissection, curettage, and implant placement/removal).
• In these surgeries, the ultrasound was employed either to mark the most strategic place to make the skin incision or to guide the placement of instruments within the body tissue.
• The marking for the incision site was done on the skin using staples. In order to facilitate dissection, depth soundings were taken from the ultrasound via caliper-measuring tools.
• After each surgery, the primary specialist surgeon (who was either from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons or the European College of Veterinary Surgeons) evaluated whether the intraoperative ultrasound was helpful, unhelpful, or harmful.

Study Results

• Based on the surgeon’s feedback after the surgeries, the intraoperative ultrasound was rated as helpful in 93% of the surgeries, unhelpful in 6% of the surgeries, and harmful in 1% of the surgeries.

Study Conclusions

• The investigators concluded from their findings that intraoperative ultrasound can serve as a valuable addition to surgical techniques for various conditions in horses.