Extracorporeal shock wave therapy improved the rate of healing of collagenase-induced suspensory ligament desmitis in horses, as measured by ultrasonographic imaging. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy resulted in a statistically significant decrease in lesion area and improved fiber alignment and echogenicity of the ligament in treated ligaments when compared with control ligaments. Authors’ ad...

Proximal metatarsal pain is most commonly caused by desmopathy or enthesopathy of the proximal part of the suspensory ligament. Diagnosis of the causes of proximal metatarsal pain has improved markedly with the use of more specific regional analgesic techniques, objective techniques of lameness quantification, and cross-sectional imaging methods. However, even diagnostic anesthesia of the deep ...

In human medicine, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is an established therapeutic procedure for treatment of renal calculi. In the last few years extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) also has been used in human orthopedic treatment, especially chronic insertion tendopathy/desmitis such as “tennis elbow,” tendinosis calcarea, and pseudarthrosis. In the veterinary field, the use of ESWT ...

The suspensory ligament (SL) can be divided into three separate regions which are subject to injury: the proximal part, the body, and the branches. For clinical purposes in the forelimb the proximal part extends from approximately 4 to 12 cm distal to the accessory carpal bone, and in the hindlimb from approximately 2 to 10 cm distal to the tarsometatarsal joint. In the forelimb, the SL origina...

A 3-month-old Standardbred colt was examined for acute, bilateral hindlimb swelling and lameness. Serum chemistry demonstrated elevated muscle enzymes (AST, ALT, LDH and CK). Radiographs of the hindlimbs demonstrated intact proximal sesamoid bones that were displaced distally and subluxation of the pastern joints. Ultrasonography of the affected areas revealed large, diffuse hypoechoic areas in...

Suspensory ligament injuries are a common injury in sport horses, especially in competing dressage horses. Because of the poor healing of chronic recalcitrant tendon injuries, this represents a major problem in the rehabilitation of sport horses and often compromises the return to the initial performance level. Stem cells are considered as a novel treatment for different pathologies in horses a...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of suspensory ligament fibroblasts (SLF) to in vitro stimulation using acellular bone marrow (ABM), platelet rich plasma (in vitro PRP), and serum as potential treatment modalities for suspensory desmitis. Blood, bone marrow, and suspensory ligaments were collected from five horses. SLF were harvested, grown until confluent, and stimulat...

OBJECTIVES To determine if regional variations in strain patterns occur within the suspensory ligament under tensile load. Local increases in strain may put certain regions of the suspensory ligament at risk and may explain the poor healing and high recurrence rates associated with suspensory branch injuries. METHODS The suspensory ligament and its bone attachments were isolated from each of ...