Treatment of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy in horses with a basihyoid-ceratohyoid disarticulation technique: 6 cases (2018-2019).

This research illustrates a surgical technique called basihyoid-ceratohyoid disarticulation (BCD) used to treat horses affected by temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO). The procedure was performed on sedated horses while standing and resulted in improved neurological function with minimal complications.

Research Methodology

• The researchers conducted a retrospective study on six client-owned horses that underwent the BCD procedure for the treatment of THO between 2018-2019.
• They examined the detailed electronic medical records from a veterinary teaching hospital to extract relevant data.
• Important factors taken into account included the horse’s signalment (species, breed, age, sex), clinical data, usage, and complications caused by the disease or the procedure.
• Post-procedure data was also collected through telephone interviews with the owners. This information contained the clinical outcome, time to improvement after surgery, any persistent clinical signs, the horse’s activity level before and after the procedure, subsequent use of the horse, and whether the owners would consider the same treatment again.

Key Findings

• All six horses tolerated the BCD procedure well, with no reported complications.
• They experienced improved neurological function after the surgery with five out of six horses resuming the same or higher activity level as compared to before they showed THO symptoms.
• All three horses diagnosed with acute ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements) before the procedure had complete resolution of this symptom, while three out of four horses with facial nerve deficits continued to have mild symptoms post-procedure.
• All the horse owners indicated that they would opt for BCD again, which suggests high satisfaction levels with the procedure.

Conclusion

• This study suggests that basihyoid-ceratohyoid disarticulation can be a safe and effective treatment for horses suffering from temporohyoid osteoarthropathy.
• The procedure has the advantage of being performed on a sedated, standing horse, thus avoiding the risks associated with general anesthesia.
• The study didn’t report any cases of iatrogenic injury (an injury caused by medical examination or treatment) to neurovascular structures, indicating the safety of the procedure.