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DOI: 10.3415/VCOT-13-08-0105
The microvasculature in the equine distal phalanx: Implications for fracture healing
The authors thank Drs. John A. Stick and Frank Nickels for their assistance in this study. Funding was provided by The Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research and the Wade O. Brinker Endowment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University; and the American Quarter Horse Association and the United States Equestrian Federation.Publikationsverlauf
Received:
22. August 2013
Accepted:
17. Februar 2013
Publikationsdatum:
20. Dezember 2017 (online)
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Summary
Objectives
To describe the intra-osseous microvasculature of the distal phalanx of the equine forelimb with regard to its potential clinical relevance.
Methods
Eleven clinically normal equine forelimbs were used from six adult horses (range: 4 to 18 years old) euthanatized for reasons unrelated to lameness. In each limb the median artery was catheterized at the level of the carpus and India ink was injected under constant manual pressure. The limbs were frozen and 5 mm thick sections of the foot were cut in the sagittal, coronal, or transverse planes on a band saw. The sections were fixed in 10% formalin and cleared using a modified Spalteholz technique. Once cleared, the sections were photographed and the microvascular anatomy identified.
Results
The vascular injections revealed a rich intra-osseous microvascular supply of the distal phalanx originating from the medial and lateral palmar digital arteries. In addition, numerous smaller vessels from the terminal arch, formed by anastomosis of the medial and lateral palmar digital arteries, could be seen branching into the distal aspects of the distal phalanx. This distal portion of the distal phalanx appeared more densely vascularized than the proximal part in all specimens examined.
Clinical significance
The increased vascularity demonstrated in the distal portion of the distal phalanx appears to correlate with improved fracture healing reported in this area. This may also explain why healing fractures which involve both the distal and proximal portions of the distal phalanx have been described as progressing from distal-to-proximal.
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