Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive (key hole) surgical technique that is used for the evaluation and treatment of many orthopaedic conditions within joints, tendon sheaths and bursae. Arthroscopy can be performed to remove bone chip fractures and osteochondral (OCD) fragments, to assist fracture repair, to treat infected joints, tendon sheaths and bursae, and to evaluate and treat tendon or ligamentous damage. Arthroscopy represents a “gold standard” to assess the health of cartilage within joints. Some of the advantages of arthroscopy include an ability to accurately assess damage within joints, an ability to use a smaller less invasive approach to access the joint, and therefore potentially decrease the post operative complications, shortening the recovery period.
Fracture Repair
Fractures can occur in all ages of horse, and involve long bones, the smaller bones in and around joints, and the bones in the hoof. Our clinic commonly treats fractures in the racehorse using a combination of direct digital imaging and advanced implant technology. Our specialized team of orthopaedic surgeons, veterinary anaesthetists and purpose built recovery rooms ensures the best possible outcome is achieved in such high-risk orthopaedic patients.
Tendon / Ligament Surgery
Tendon and ligament injuries are a common cause of lameness in all types of performance horse. Various cutting edge treatments are now available to promote better quality healing of tendon and ligament tissues. These include the direct injection of platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), non-cellular support proteins (Hyaluronic Acid), and stem cells into the injured tendon or ligament. Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy is another treatment that promotes ligament healing at bone attachment sites. Various surgical procedures can be performed to treat proximal suspensory ligament desmitis (PSD) in the hind limb, a common condition in the performance horse. These include fascial release around the ligament and neurectomy (cutting only the nerve which supplies the head of the suspensory ligament).
Orthopaedic surgery in the foal
In the growing foal, flexural and angular limb deformities can occur. These may be treated with corrective trimming and shoeing alone in some cases. In those that fail to respond, various surgical treatments can be performed to change the growth in the limb (growth plate bridging) or reduce tension in the tendons (superior or inferior check ligament desmotomy) in order to correct limb alignment.
