Splint bone fractures in the horse: a retrospective study 1992–2001

Resistance of equine tibiae and radii to side impact loads

“…Typical examples are car collisions with pedestrians [4,5] or hoof kicks of horses injuring human individuals [6] or other horses [7]. Beside splint bones, radii and tibiae are also frequently affected [8,9].…”

Internal fixation of proximal fractures of the 2nd and 4th metacarpal and metatarsal bones using bioabsorbable screws

“…23 Notably, all subjects with an open proximal fracture (n = 18/27) in their study did not have a good outcome, and just six of nine subjects with closed proximal splint bone fractures had good outcomes. 23 In the current series, most of the included subjects had undergone conservative therapy for 3-5 months without improvement and thus surgical intervention was the alternative option. Another study suggested that conservative therapy of open comminuted fractures of the proximal one-third of MT4 had comparable rates of survival, return to full work and convalescent period to those of surgically managed patients.…”

“…Proximal fractures of splint bones can be treated conservatively. Jackson et al reported proximal open fractures of splint bone as having a good prognosis after conservative therapy and patients could have good outcomes (return to their intended level of performance) . Notably, all subjects with an open proximal fracture (n = 18/27) in their study did not have a good outcome, and just six of nine subjects with closed proximal splint bone fractures had good outcomes .…”

“…Jackson et al reported proximal open fractures of splint bone as having a good prognosis after conservative therapy and patients could have good outcomes (return to their intended level of performance) . Notably, all subjects with an open proximal fracture (n = 18/27) in their study did not have a good outcome, and just six of nine subjects with closed proximal splint bone fractures had good outcomes . In the current series, most of the included subjects had undergone conservative therapy for 3–5 months without improvement and thus surgical intervention was the alternative option.…”

“…24 Another possible complication of conservative therapy is instability resulting from the amount of bone remaining and the integrity of its attachment to MC3/MT3, which could develop arthrosis of the distal carpal/tarsal joints. 7,23 Internal fixation of the proximal fragment to MC3/MT3 with the help of a small plate is suggested to maintain axial support. 5,6 Loss of the distal part of the splint bone and its associated ligamentous attachment to the MC3/MT3 bone results in functional shortening of the lever arm and an increased tendency for luxation and rotation of the remaining proximal portion.…”