Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurectomy of the deep branch of the lateral plantar nerve can cause neurogenic atrophy of the muscle fibres in the proximal part of the suspensory ligament (M. interosseous III).
- Journal:
- Equine veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Pauwels, F E et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institute of Veterinary
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In this study, a healthy adult horse underwent surgery to remove a nerve in its right hind leg. Six weeks later, the horse was euthanized for research purposes, and the researchers examined the muscle in the suspensory ligament of both hind legs. They found that the muscle in the leg that had the surgery was significantly smaller and showed signs of severe muscle wasting due to nerve damage. This indicates that the surgery had a negative impact on the muscle in that area.
Abstract
Neurectomy of the deep branch of the right lateral plantar nerve was performed on a single healthy mature horse. Six weeks after surgery, the horse was subjected to euthanasia and both hind suspensory ligaments harvested. The cross sectional area of the muscular part of the proximal part of the suspensory ligament was measured and assessed for morphological abnormalities in a blinded fashion. There was a clear difference in cross sectional area of the muscular part between treated and control ligament and there was profound neurogenic atrophy of the muscular fibres in the treated ligament.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19642414/