Summary At least three types of movement take place in the joint complexes of the equine thoracolumbar spine: dorsoventral flexion and extension, axial rotation and lateral bending. Using the standard right‐handed Cartesian coordinate system, these movements may be defined as rotation about the x, y and z axes respectively. Except in cases of intervertebral fusion, all three types of movement occur in each joint complex of the equine back. The greatest amount of dorsoventral movement takes place at the lumbosacral and the first thoracic intervertebral joints. The greatest amount of axial rotation and lateral bending was measured in the mid‐thoracolumbar spine at the level of the 11th or 12th thoracic intervertebral joints. The caudal thoracic and the lumbar spine is the least mobile region of the equine back. In the mid‐thoracic spine, lateral bending was always accompanied by a “coupled” axial rotation. The presence of the rib cage stabilised the cranial thoracic vertebrae against axial rotation. Résumé Trois types de mouvement au moins se produisent dans les complexes articulaires de la colonne vertébrale thoraco lombaire du cheval; flexion et extension dorso ventrales, rotation axiale et courbure latérale. En utilisant le système coordonné cartésien dextre ces mouvements penvent être définis comme des rotations autour des axes x, y et z. A l'exception des cas de fusion inter vertébrale ces trois types de mouvement se produisent dans chaque complexe articulaire du dos du cheval. Les mouvements dorso ventraux les plus fréquents se produisent dans l'articulation lombo sacrée et dans la première articulation intervertébrale thoracique. Les mouvements de rotation axiale et de courbure latérale les plus nombreux se constatent dans la partie centrale de l'axe thoraco lombaire, 11 ème et 12 ème articulations intervertébrales thoraciques. La partie caudale du segment thoracique et le segment lombaire forment la région la moins mobile du dos du cheval. Dans la partie méso‐thoracique, la courbure latérale est toujours couplée avec une rotation axiale. L'armature costale protège les vertèbres thoraciques craniales d'une rotation axiale. Zusammenfassung Mindestens drei Bewegungstypen laufen in den Gelenken der thorakolumbalen Wirbelsäule des Pferdes ab: eine dorsoventrale Flexion und Extension, eine axiale Rotation und eine laterale Biegung. Innerhalb des rechtsgerichteten, karthesischen Koordinatensystems können diese Bewegungen als Rotationen um die x, y und z Achse definiert werden. Ausser in Fällen einer intervertebralen Fusion laufen die drei Bewegungstypen in jedem Gelenkskomplex des Pferderückens ab. Das grösste Ausmass nimmt die dorsoventrale Bewegung in den lumbosacralen und in den ersten thorakalen Intervertebralgelenken an. Das grösste Ausmass der axialen Rotation und der lateralen Biegung wurde in der Mitte der thorakolumbalen Wirbelsäule auf der Höhe des 11. und 12. Zwischenwirbelgelenks gemessen. Die hintere thorakale und die lumbäre Wirbelsäule ist am wenigsten beweglich. In der mittleren Brustwirbelsäule wa...

Summary Post operative surgical wound infection rates were determined for 452 cases of equine orthopaedic surgery performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1990. Only surgical procedures classified as clean or clean‐contaminated by the National Research Council were included in this study. The overall post operative infection rate was 10.0% (45 of 452). Clean surgeries (n=433) had an 8.1% infection rate while clean‐contaminated surgeries (n=19) had a 52.6% infection rate. Information collected from the medical records was used in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to evaluate significant determinates of post operative infection. Significant determinates of post operative infection were: surgical classification, orthopaedic involvement, duration of surgery, administration of preoperative antibiotics and gender. Clean‐contaminated surgeries had an increased risk of infection compared to clean surgeries (odds ratio (OR)=24.3), procedures involving long bones had an increased risk of infection compared to procedures involving articular surfaces (OR =5.1), surgeries lasting 90 minutes or longer had an increased risk of infection compared to those less than 90 minutes (OR =3.6), administration of preoperative antibiotics was associated with an increased risk of infection (OR =4.6) and female patients were 2.6 times more likely to develop post operative infection than male patients.

Arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint was used to treat lameness resulting from osteoarthrosis and for closed subluxation in 35 horses. Six horses had bilateral arthrodeses. Several conventional internal fixation techniques and a three converging screw method were used. Criteria for success included the horse performing its previous or intended athletic activity and the owner being satisfied with the outcome. Using these criteria, a successful outcome was obtained in 65% of the 26 animals in which adequate follow-up was available. A successful outcome was observed in four of six horses with bilateral arthrodeses. The internal fixation technique used did not influence the success rate, and the duration of postoperative casting was similar in successful and unsuccessful cases. The success rate of proximal interphalangeal arthrodeses was 46% in the fore limbs and 83% in the hind limbs. Complications included infection, cast ulcers, bone or implant failure, implant loosening, and laminitis.

Standardized 20 mm diameter excisional skin wounds were made on the body and distal limbs of 6 ponies at 18,12,4, and 2 weeks prior to biopsy. The results of comparative area analysis of leg and body wounds show that leg wounds take significantly longer to heal than body wounds. There is a longer preparatory phase and a greater amount of wound retraction in the leg wounds. At 12 weeks postwounding, the area of the epithelium covering the wound site is significantly larger in the leg wounds compared to the flank wounds. Histological examination of the wounds showed that there is less epithelialization of leg wounds at 2 and 4 week postwounding, and that the granulation tissue of these wounds extends slightly above the level of the adjacent skin. Within the granulation tissue of leg wounds, there are clefts filled with fibrin and inflammatory cells. Once epithelialization is completed, the leg wounds are covered by acanthotic epidermis with numerous large epidermal projections. In contrast, the flank wounds are covered by thin epidermis devoid of epidermal projections. One wound at 18 weeks postwounding had histological features typical of a keloid.HOUGH SKIN LACERATIONS occur commonly in T horses, particularly involving the distal limbs,',* little research has been conducted into equine skin wound healing. Most research into equine skin wounds has been directed toward developing reliable techniques for skin grafting. Although descriptions of both excisional and incisional wounds in equine skin are there is no presently available detailed description of the histology of the healing of incisional or excisional wounds in the horse.Lower leg skin wounds of horses are reported to have slower rates of wound contraction than those on the ~h o u l d e r .~ Wounds of the distal limbs frequently develop exuberant granulation tissue and therefore may pose difficult therapeutic problems.' Very extensive wounds of the upper body, however, heal rapidly with few complications.1° These differences in wound healing have not been explained, although a number of possible causes have beenThe purpose of this study was to investigate macroscopic and microscopic differences in the healing of standardized skin wounds created on the body and distal limbs of ponies. Materials and MethodsSix normal adult ponies were used. Leg and body wounds were made at 18, 12, 4, and 2 weeks prior to wound harvesting. The wounds were made with the animals under general anesthesia. The skin at each surgical site was clipped, shaved, and scrubbed with povidone iodine* scrub, and povidone iodine solution* was applied prior to wounding.Three wound types were made on the body and one lower limb of each pony on each of the four wounding dates: a 20 mm diameter excisional wound, a cryogenic wound approximately 20 mm in diameter made by the application of liquid nitrogent with skin temperature at the periphery of the wound monitored with thermocouples$ until it reached WC, and a 20 mrn diameter excisional wound to which liquid nitrogen was applied to the wound pe...

Two hundred and thirteen bovine and 115 equine long bone fractures presented for treatment to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine were reviewed. Based on the number of patients presented, cattle had a significantly (p < 0.01) higher survival rate than horses. In horses, the third metatarsal bone was most frequently presented for fracture treatment, but in cattle, the femur was most commonly affected. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the treatment success rates when comparing the bones affected, methods of treatment used, duration between the fracture occurrence and presentation for repair, distance traveled prior to hospitalization, type of limb support during transportation, or medication given prior to hospitalization. Horses between 3 months and 2 years of age had a significantly (p < 0.05) lower survival rate than those in other age groups. Compared to open and comminuted fractures, a significantly (p < 0.01) greater number of simple fractures were selected for treatment in horses. Based on the cases presented, the survival rate of the horses with simple fractures is higher (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the survival rates of horses or cattle when simple, open, comminuted, and open plus comminuted fractures were treated. There were significantly (p < 0.001) more open fractures in horses than in cattle. Postoperative complications occurred in 49% of the horses treated, and the enthanasia rate was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in horses with complications.