An investigation on the use of cryosurgery for treatment of bone spavin, splint, and fractured splint bone injuries in standardbred horses.

Bone spavin, splint, and fractured splint bone injuries have been treated with varying methodologies at Wheatley Hall Farm Equine Clinic. Cryosurgery is the most successful. With cryosurgery the small, pain-producing afferent C fibers are destroyed, and painful neuromas do not return. Injured sites were cryosurgically treated with liquid nitrogen for a double freeze-thaw period of 45 sec. 5 sec, 45 sec. Before and after treatment comparisons were conducted on study standardbreds. In all three injury groups, results showed that the standardbreds tended to race as well or with improved times and classes after treatment. With cryosurgery, the horse undergoes a relatively short layoff period and does not experience any of the problems associated with other surgical procedures. Unlike denerving, a horse is still aware of outside stimulus to the treated area. Based upon personal observation and this preliminary investigation, cryosurgery provides a successful treatment alternative which is safe and humane to the horse, requiring a very short layoff or recovery time.