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The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a single-portal endoscopic desmotomy of the PAL with the use of Arthrex -Centerline™. Ten horse distal front limbs from horses free of PAL disease were prepared for tenoscopy of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). A dual-port endoscopic desmotomy with a hook knife was performed in 5 specimens (Group A) and single port Arthrex-Centerline™ Desmotomy was performed in another 5 specimens (Group B). The performing time, judgments of the surgeon, number of blade passages, and gross anatomy were evaluated. The performing time and surgeon judgments were significantly lower in Group B. No significant differences were assessed in number of passages to achieve a complete PAL resection and a gross anatomy evaluation. The use of Arthrex-Centerline™ is feasible for a PAL desmotomy procedure. It was faster with more handling ease compared with the free-hand double-portal desmotomy and allowed the same results in terms of number of passages to complete the release evaluated at gross anatomy.

The sustentaculum tali (ST) is located at the medial aspect of the tarsus and is considered a rare anatomic location for diseases. This retrospective case series describes the management of five horses with septic and non-septic ST injuries. All horses were treated surgically with tenovaginoscopy, ST fragment and exostosis removal. In two cases, lameness was caused by an exostosis involving the ST and the plantar aspect of the medial trochlear ridge (MTR). There are no reports of exostosis involving ST and MTR causing lameness. In four horses, the long-term outcome was considered good and the horses were able to return to the previous level; one horse developed a recurrence of ST and MTR exostosis leading to recurrence of lameness. Curettage of the ST and MTR exostosis, removal of fragments and tarsal sheath adhesions play a pivotal role in increasing prognosis and long-term outcome. Poor prognosis is correlated with exostosis recurrence. BACKGROUNDThis article provides the readership of the Veterinary Record with new information on the lesion and surgical treatment of injuries of the sustentaculum tali (ST).In this retrospective study, we report a case series that describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis, surgical management and outcome of five horses with septic and nonseptic injuries of the ST. All horses were treated surgically. We provide the reader with information to optimize the surgical approach according to the specific cases. In this case report, we also describe two cases with non-septic exostosis of the ST also involving the medial trochlear ridge (MTR). In these two cases, the exostosis was defined as the cause of lameness. The exostosis of ST and MTR is considered a rare pathological condition that has to be taken into consideration in cases of hindlimb lameness because this can be the reason for lameness. Exostosis involving the ST and MTR has not been described in detail before. CASE PRESENTATIONThe medial aspect of the tarsus in horses is poorly covered by soft tissue and bone protrusions of the talus and calca-This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

To the authorsʼ knowledge there is only one report in the literature, dealing with paramedullary plasmacytomas in horses as so-called “break out lesions”, originating from the bone marrow of a vertebra and invading the epidural space (Drew and Greatorex 1974). Our case report describes the clinical and patho-morphological findings of such a case. The affected 8-month-old warmblood weanling colt exhibited acute tetraparesis thus, a spinal cord lesion in the cervical column was suspected. Computed tomography revealed osteolytic lesions in C1 and a heterogeneous mass within the respective segment of the vertebral canal. By means of patho-morphological examination, with the aid of transmission electron microscopy, a plasmacytoma was identified, that had grown out of the bone marrow of C1 into the epidural space, locally compressing the spinal cord. In tetraparetic, young horses traumatic spine cord injuries, cervical vertebral malformations and infectious diseases of the central nervous system represent common differentials. However bone-dissolving tumours such as paramedullary plasmacytomas should be considered as a further possible cause in the presence of severe neurological deficits.

Granulosa cell tumour (GCT) is a benign tumour that affects a mare’s ovaries. In this report, a case of unilateral GCT in an ovary, which weighed 24 kg, of a 7-year-old warmblood mare is described, including ultrasonographic, clinical appearance and successful surgical removal of the tumour. The GCT was the cause of an acute hemoperitoneum and after a first stabilization of the mare, the GCT was removed through a ventral midline incision. Because of the enormous dimensions of the GCT, intra-abdominal partial resection of the tumor using a tenotomy knife was performed to exteriorize the ovarian pedicle. The technique can cause an intra-abdominal hemorrhage and the time between GCT resection and sealing of the respective ovarian pedicle should be as short as possible. After 3.5 months, the mare had a good cosmetic and functional outcome and was ridden for her intended use. Metastasis of GCT is rare, but not impossible. The mare therefore should be followed up for a longer period of time to investigate if metastasis develops.