Surgical Stabilization of the Equine Cervical Spine |
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| Authors: | PAMELA C WAGNER MS DVM GEORGE W BAGBY MD § BARRIE D GRANT DVM MS ANTHONY GALLINA DVM PHD † MARC RATZLAFF DVM PHD ‡ RON SANDE DVM PHD |
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| Institution: | *Departments of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery;?Departments ofVeterinary Microbiology and Pathology;?Departments of Veterinary Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology Washington State University, Pullman, Washington |
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| Abstract: | The Cloward technique for intervertebral fusion was utilized on 12 horses ranging from 3 months to 2 years of age. Of the 12 horses, 9 had been diagnosed as having equine cervical vertebral malformation (CVM) or "wobbles," and 3 were normal controls. A large hole was drilled from the ventral border of the vertebral bodies spanning the intervertebral disc and the vertebral end plates of the 2 articulating vertebrae. Frozen homologous bone dowels of slightly larger diameter from equine cadaver ilia were inserted in the holes. No adverse postoperative complication arose. Clinical improvement was seen in all horses with CVM. Three months postoperatively, partial or complete fusion was evident radiographically in 11 of the 12 horses. Necropsies were performed 3–6 months postoperatively to evaluate the quality of the fusion. Cadaver manipulation demonstrated reduced intervertebral movement at the operative site in all cases. The articulations of the equine cervical spine can be operatively fused by the Cloward technique, and surgically induced trauma is minimal. This technique can be used for stabilizing subluxations and may be applicable for treating fractures and osteolytic processes that have weakened vertebrae. |
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