Vertical tears of the cranial horn of the meniscus and its cranial ligament in the equine femorotibial joint: 7 cases and their treatment by arthroscopic surgery.
Abstract: Five horses with a vertical tear in the cranial horn and cranial ligament of the medial meniscus and 2 horses with a similar injury in the lateral meniscus were diagnosed from a series of 126 horses which were examined arthroscopically for stifle lameness. All the lesions had similar characteristics. The tear was about 1 cm from the axial border of the meniscus and its ligament and, in all but one case in which it was incomplete, much of the torn tissue was loosely attached in the axial part of the joint from where it was removed. The remaining meniscus, abaxial to the tear, was displaced cranially and abaxially and its torn edges were debrided. Radiographically, 6 cases had proliferative new bone on the cranial aspect of the intercondylar eminence of the tibia and 3 had calcified soft tissue densities in the cranial, medial or lateral femorotibial joint. Following surgery and a 6 month period of rest and controlled exercise, 3 horses returned to full competition work, one was usable for hacking, 2 are convalescing and one is lame after one year. It is postulated that this could be a characteristic meniscal injury in horses which can benefit from arthroscopic surgery. Better techniques for accessing the body and caudal pole of the menisci are needed if a more complete diagnosis and treatment of meniscal injuries are to be achieved.
Publication Date: 1995-01-01 PubMed ID: 7774542DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb03027.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper investigates the impact of arthroscopic surgery on horses diagnosed with a vertical tear in either the medial or lateral meniscus of the cranial horn and its cranial ligament, revealing a significant benefit and suggesting an area of future development in equine veterinary medicine.
Study Participants and Procedure
- The study involved a total of 126 horses examined for stifle lameness. Among these, seven horses were diagnosed with a particular type of vertical tear in the cranial horn and its cranial ligament. Specifically, five horses had the tear in the medial meniscus while the other two had a similar injury in the lateral meniscus.
- The meniscus tear for all the diagnosed horses shared similar characteristics. Each tear was approximately 1 cm away from the axial border of the meniscus and its ligament.
- Except for one where the tear was incomplete, the rest of the torn tissue was loosely attached to the axial part inside the joint, from which it was surgically removed.
Radiographic Analysis and Post-Surgery Findings
- Radiographic analysis of six horses pointed to proliferative new bone on the cranial side of the tibia’s intercondylar eminence. Additionally, three horses showed calcified soft tissue densities in the cranial, medial or lateral femorotibial joint.
- Post-surgery treatment included six months of rest and controlled exercise. After this recovery period, three horses returned to their initial competition level, one was suitable for light riding (hacking), two were still in the process of convalescing, and one remained lame after one year.
Implications and Future Research
- Based on the findings of the research, it is suggested that this type of meniscal injury in horses could be characteristic and can be positively treated with arthroscopic surgery.
- However, the paper concludes by emphasizing the need for better techniques that allow access to the body and caudal pole of the menisci. This improvement will facilitate a more comprehensive diagnosis and effective treatment of meniscal injuries in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Walmsley JP.
(1995).
Vertical tears of the cranial horn of the meniscus and its cranial ligament in the equine femorotibial joint: 7 cases and their treatment by arthroscopic surgery.
Equine Vet J, 27(1), 20-25.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb03027.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Veterinary Hospital, Liphook, Hants, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arthroscopy / veterinary
- Female
- Hindlimb / injuries
- Hindlimb / surgery
- Horses / injuries
- Horses / surgery
- Ligaments, Articular / injuries
- Ligaments, Articular / surgery
- Male
- Menisci, Tibial / surgery
- Tibial Meniscus Injuries
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Ribitsch I, Oreff GL, Jenner F. Regenerative Medicine for Equine Musculoskeletal Diseases. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 19;11(1).
- Warnock JJ, Fox DB, Stoker AM, Beatty M, Cockrell M, Janicek JC, Cook JL. Culture of equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes on synthetic tissue scaffolds towards meniscal tissue engineering: a preliminary cell-seeding study. PeerJ 2014;2:e353.
- Halley SE, Bey MJ, Haladik JA, Lavagnino M, Arnoczky SP. Three dimensional, radiosteriometric analysis (RSA) of equine stifle kinematics and articular surface contact: a cadaveric study. Equine Vet J 2014 May;46(3):364-9.
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