Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Second carpal bone slab fracture and subluxation of the middle carpal joint in a horse subsequent to arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint.
- Journal:
- Veterinary surgery : VS
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- MacKay, Angela V et al.
- Affiliation:
- Western College of Veterinary Medicine · Canada
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old Quarter Horse mare had surgery to treat arthritis in her carpometacarpal joint (the joint in her knee) using a drilling method. Two weeks after the surgery, she developed severe lameness in the leg that had been operated on, and tests revealed a serious fracture in one of the carpal bones and instability in the middle carpal joint. Unfortunately, due to the poor outlook for recovery, the horse was humanely put to sleep. This case highlights that the surgical technique used can sometimes lead to complications like fractures and joint instability, so it's important to find a balance between treating the joint and keeping it stable.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report complications of arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint using a drilling technique in an adult horse. STUDY DESIGN: Case report. ANIMALS: Horse (n = 1). METHOD: A 12-year-old Quarter Horse mare with CMC osteoarthritis (CMC-OA) had arthrodesis under general anesthesia in right lateral recumbency. Under fluoroscopic guidance, a 4.5 mm drill bit was inserted at 3 drilling sites 5-6 cm into the CMC joint and was fanned 30-45° in the plane of the joint and 5-10° in the long axis of the limb to destroy articular cartilage and expose the subchondral bone. RESULTS: The horse presented 2 weeks after surgery for severe lameness of the operated limb. A slab fracture of the 2nd carpal bone (C2) and subluxation of the middle carpal (MC) joint was diagnosed. The horse was humanely euthanatized due to poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: The fanning technique of arthrodesis of the CMC joint may lead to fracture of carpal bones, joint instability, and MC joint subluxation. A balance between articular surface destruction and maintenance of joint stability should be achieved when using this technique.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25255787/