Week 6/7 Surgery RREH

Hello from Kentucky and it has been extremely busy these last 2 weeks! An exciting surgery that was performed was an arthrodesis by Dr. Bramlage. An arthrodesis is a surgical immobilization of a joint by fusion of the adjacent bones, resulting in bony ankylosis. This arthrodesis was performed on the left front fetlock due to a racing injury that occurred to the proximal sesamoids and the areas between the third metacarpal bone and the proximal phalanx, also known as the cannon bone and long pastern bone. Dr. Bramlage created his own condylar fracture to enter the joint space. By creating his own fracture he was able to reduce the stress and damage on the surrounding soft tissue. After entering the joint space the articular cartilage was removed to facilitate bone growth and remodeling to fuse the joint. The fracture he created was then fixed with screws and then 2 plates were placed to stabilize the joint. When the surgery was complete, the horse was placed in a cast with a drain tube and will remain in the hospital.
Warning Graphic Pictures: 

 

The initial incision is made and it is time to create the condylar fracture to enter the joint.

 

The joint space is entered and it is ready to have the articular cartilage removed and subchondral bone exposed. You can see the third metacarpal bone to the left of the picture.

 

Removing the cartilage with a bone saw. He used this earlier to make the condylar fracture.

 

The first plate is in place and screws were placed to hold it.

 The last picture is of Dr. Bramlage manually hand driving in the screws after using a drill to make sure they are securely in place.

 It was such an amazing experience to watch Dr. Bramlage perform this surgery! Until next time, thanks for reading!
Jackie Tobias