In a study published in the journal Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology authored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute surgeon Dr. Russ Freeland—along with Hagyard Alumni Dr. W. True Baker and Dr. Pieternel Kerber—they examined the relationship between lesion size, racing performance, and sale result of Thoroughbreds with lateral trochlear ridge (LTR) osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) following arthroscopic removal as a yearling. Previous studies had shown a prevalence of 5.1% for LTR OCD and 10.9% for stifle OCD. Those previous studies had also found the sale price to be lower for horses with stifle OCD than other sale horses.
In the current updated study, they found significantly more positive results in the thoroughbred yearlings that were subjected to arthroscopic removal of an osteochondral fragment from the LTR in one or both stifles at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (Lexington, Kentucky) between 2012 and 2015. The new study found the following:
> Lesion length and depth did not affect racing performance and did not differ between groups presented for yearling sale post-surgery compared to those that were not.
> Further, the results of the study suggests that stifle arthroscopy for the removal of LTR OCD lesions in the Thoroughbred yearling does not delay the start of the horse's racing career.
More details can be found on the study at https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0043-1776323.
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