Publikationsdatenbank

New surgical techniques of equine cervical spine surgery in horses (2023)

Art

Hochschulschrift

Autor

Schulze, Nicole (WE 17)

Quelle

Berlin: Mensch und Buch Verlag, 2023 — II, 76 Seiten

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/37288

Kontakt

Pferdeklinik

Oertzenweg 19 b
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62299 / 62300
pferdeklinik@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

A new CT generation with a detector coverage of 16 cm and a rotation speed of 0.32 seconds / rotation makes it possible to obtain high quality images of equine cervical articular process joint C4/5 in motion. This work further confirms that dynamic CT imaging has the potential to provide new insight into the movement pattern of articular motion segments, which may be of value for the examination of APJ and other joint conditions. The study provides a first step in the investigation of the potential of dynamic 3D CT in veterinary medicine, a technique that has only begun to be explored and leaves much room for refinement prior to its introduction in routine practice. Additionally, the ex-vivo study did not show any significant association between fusion of a cervical motion segment and change in range of motion of the adjacent vertebral segments. However, apart from adjacent segment disease due to an increase in range of motion of adjacent vertebral segments, adjacent degenerative disc disease is commonly diagnosed in other species after vertebral fusion. Increased pressure acting on the intervertebral joint after adjacent vertebral fusion may also affect the intervertebral disc in the equine patient. Further research investigating the implications of vertebral fusion on the intervertebral pressure in the equine cervical spine is indicated. For the first time, a surgical approach to stabilize complete luxation of the atlantoaxial articulatiom in an American quarter horse yearling has been successfully performed. A complete atlantoaxial luxation has historically been associated with a very poor prognosis for athletic function or even survival, especially in cases in which attempts of manual reduction were unsuccessful or caused damage to the spinal cord (Fürst 2019; Vaughan et al. 1973; Guffy et al. 1969). Nine months postoperatively, bony fusion between C1 and C2 was radiographically evident, the horse did not show any neurological deficits or apparent reduction in cervical range of motion. More cases are required to evaluate the surgical technique and the long-term outcome. A small case series revealed that arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments in the equine cervical APJs can be performed safely, with a good prognosis for return to athletic function in 3 horses with low-grade lameness and mild neurologic deficits. Arthroscopic removal of APJ fragments may be considered as an approach to treat these lesions, but a clear link between clinical signs and the fragments has not yet been proven. Surgical treatment of a larger number of horses will help to further establish the clinical significance of these osteochondral fragments in the cervical articular process joints.