Deep digital flexor tenotomy as a treatment for chronic laminitis in horses: 35 cases (1988-1997).
Authors: Eastman, Honnas, Hague, Moyer, von der Rosen
Journal: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Summary
# Editorial Summary Deep digital flexor tenotomy offers a salvage option for horses with chronic laminitis unresponsive to medical management, with this retrospective analysis of 35 cases treated between 1988 and 1997 demonstrating 77% survival beyond 6 months and 59% survival beyond 2 years. The research evaluated prognostic factors including lameness grade (Obel classification), body weight, and degree of distal phalangeal rotation, finding that none of these variables significantly influenced short- or long-term survival or subsequent athletic capability. Perhaps most encouragingly, 73% of owners reported they would elect to repeat the procedure under the same circumstances, indicating a substantial subjective improvement in quality of life despite chronic laminitis. Whilst the procedure does not reverse underlying pathology, DDF tenotomy appears capable of restoring some horses to light riding work and, at minimum, can facilitate improved comfort and function in animals that might otherwise face euthanasia. For practitioners managing refractory laminitis cases, this represents a legitimate surgical consideration when conventional therapies have failed, particularly given the absence of negative predictive factors that might preclude candidacy.
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Practical Takeaways
- •DDF tenotomy offers a viable surgical option for chronic laminitis cases that have failed medical management, with reasonable long-term survival rates (59% at 2 years)
- •Initial lameness severity and radiographic rotation severity should not discourage consideration of this procedure, as they do not predict outcome
- •Some horses may return to light riding work post-operatively, and owner satisfaction is relatively high, making this worth discussing as a salvage option
Key Findings
- •77% of horses (27/35) survived ≥6 months post-DDF tenotomy, with 59% (19/32) surviving ≥2 years
- •Obel grade of lameness and body weight at surgery did not affect 6-month or 2-year survival rates
- •Degree of distal phalangeal rotation had no effect on 2-year survival or ability for light riding use
- •73% of owners (22/30) indicated they would repeat the procedure given similar circumstances