Testing Hoof Wall Casts

In collaboration with veterinary surgeons from Florida, a research farrier from the University of California, Davis, tested the effectiveness of a fiberglass and polymethyl methacrylate (PMM) hoof cast (HC) at stabilizing coffin bone (P3) fractures using cadaver limbs.

The fractures, which bisected the bone from the articular surface to the toe (Type III), were created in nine otherwise normal cadaver limbs that had been collected from horses that died from causes unrelated to the study.

The cast was constructed of fiberglass cloth embedded with PMM and adhered to the hoof wall, heels up to the bulbs, bars and sole, leaving the frog uncovered. It extended from the ground surface proximally about an inch. The limbs were then loaded in a mechanical testing press to simulate weight bearing while the fracture gap was measured on radiographs before and after a PMM HC was applied.

Under simulated midstance loads, the fracture gap increased as the load increased from simulated standing to gallop loads. The gap was smaller proximally and larger distally from the articular surface. The PMM HC successfully reduced the width of the fracture gap under loading, suggesting it may be an effective treatment for Type III coffin bone fractures.

— Westman S et al. Vet Surg 2024;53:224-233

MRI Disagreements over the Foot

Researchers at the University of Glasgow in the U.K. evaluated the reliability of magnetic resonance by examining the confidence and agreement between observers when interpreting the results of MRI examinations of the foot.

Ten…