Efficiency of the screw fixation method in the treatment of horses with proximal phalanx fractures

The authors propose a method of screw fixation as the most effective and rational in the treatment of horses with fractures of the proximal phalanx. The aim of the study was to evaluate the results and substantiate the effectiveness of using the screw fixation method in horses with fractures of the proximal phalanx. Based on clinical and radiological studies, 72 horses were diagnosed with various types of fractures of the proximal phalanx. The horses were divided into 2 groups: control and experimental. Animals of the control group were put in plaster on the affected limb. The experimental group of horses underwent extramedullary osteosynthesis with screw fixation. Horses with sagittal short and sagittal long incomplete fractures had better chances for further participation in sports and racing careers after surgery, compared to horses with sagittal long complete and comminuted fractures. Not a single horse with comminuted fractures returned to racing. The full load for horses with sagittal long fracture is allowed for 118.6 ± 1.7 days, for sagittal short fractures - 101.8 ± 2.1, for comminuted fractures - 169.1 ± 14.4 days. Out of 72 cases, sagittal long complete and incomplete fractures were registered in 29 animals (40.2%), sagittal short fractures - in 21 (29.2%) horses, and comminuted fractures - in 22 (30.6%). In total, the horses of the experimental group returned to their previous functional load in 50% of cases, whereas in the control group - only in 22.2% of cases.