Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Third carpal bone slab fractures in racing Thoroughbred horses
By Tallon, Rose et al.·Published in Equine veterinary journal·2020·Donnington Grove Veterinary Group, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sagittal plane slab fractures of the third carpal bone in 45 racing Thoroughbred horses.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of 45 racing Thoroughbred horses with a specific type of carpal bone fracture were studied to see how well they could return to racing after treatment. Out of these horses, 27 were able to race again, with those who had surgery showing better recovery rates than those treated without surgery. Horses that underwent surgery returned to racing in about 264 days on average, while those managed conservatively took about 240 days. The results suggest that both surgical and conservative treatments can help horses recover and return to racing successfully.
People also search for: Thoroughbred horse carpal bone fracture recovery · horse surgery for leg injury · racing horse injury treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sagittal plane slab fractures of the third carpal bone are a recognised injury in the racehorse. Currently no published data exist for the UK Thoroughbred racehorse population. OBJECTIVES: To document return to racing following sagittal slab fracture of the third carpal bone in a UK-based racehorse population, and to compare conservative and surgical management. STUDY DESIGN: Single centre retrospective study. METHODS: Computerised medical and racing records were searched over a 15-year period for Thoroughbred racehorses with a simple sagittal slab fracture of the third carpal bone. Horses with comminuted fractures and short incomplete linear lucencies were excluded. Time from intervention to next race was recorded. Success rates were compared by Fisher's Exact Test and Mann-Whitney U Test. RESULTS: Forty-seven horses, with 49 fractures met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 27 horses raced following injury (60%). Median time to first start was 251 days (115-600, IQR 109). Fifteen horses with 16 fractures were managed conservatively. Seven horses (47%) raced, 115-508 days following injury (median 240 days, IQR 306). Thirty horses underwent surgery; this involved placement of a single 3.5-mm lag screw under arthroscopic guidance. Twenty horses (67%) raced again 145-600 days following surgery (median 264 days, IQR 102). A higher proportion of horses managed surgically improved their Racing Post Rating (RPR) following injury (14/20), compared with those managed conservatively (1/7, P = .02). MAIN LIMITATIONS: The numbers of horses are small, particularly for those managed conservatively. Treatment was not randomly allocated, and as such several horses which underwent conservative management were subsequently retired for breeding. CONCLUSIONS: This case series indicates that both arthroscopic repair and conservative management of sagittal slab fractures of the third carpal bone allows horses to successfully return to training and racing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31965610/