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Assessment and treatment of equine humeral fractures: retrospective study of 54 cases (1972–1990)
Author(s) -
CARTER B. G.,
SCHNEIDER R. K.,
HARDY JOANNE,
BRAMLAGE L. R.,
BERTONE ALICIA L.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1993.tb02944.x
Subject(s) - medicine , conservative treatment , conservative management , surgery , humerus , intramedullary rod , presentation (obstetrics) , horse , sling (weapon) , radiography , paleontology , biology
Summary Fractures of the humerus were diagnosed in horses at The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Twenty‐four horses (44.4%) were destroyed after radiographic assessment (mean age of 5.0 years). Surgical treatment was elected in 13 horses (24.1%, mean age of 0.42 years). Conservative management, consisting of prolonged stall rest, was chosen for 17 horses (31.5%, mean age of 2.2 years). In the surgically treated group, 3 foals (23.1%) all less than 2 months of age at the time of fracture and treated with intramedullary stack pinning, survived and became athletically sound. After conservative treatment, 9 (52.9%) horses were considered successful, 4 becoming athletically sound and 5 becoming pasture sound. The mean age at the time of presentation in the 9 horses considered successful was 1.81 years. With current fixation techniques, conservative management of equine humeral fractures appears to be as good an option as surgical treatment.