The effect of artificial occlusion of the Ramus navicularis and its branching arteries on the navicular bone in horses: an experimental study.

The clinical, radiographic, arteriographic, scintigraphic and histological effects of experimental occlusion of the Ramus navicularis (R. Navicularis) and its branching arteries are evaluated. Occlusion of the R. navicularis and its branching arteries creates changes, arteriographically and histologically, which resemble those of navicular disease. The increased bone remodelling, the shift in arterial pattern, the formation of collaterals and the increased connective tissue in the synovial membrane and nutrient foramina, as a reaction to the reduction of the distal arterial supply of the navicular bone, are also pathological features in the navicular bones of horses with navicular disease. The results of the present study support the theory that a reduced distal arterial supply of the navicular bone is important in the pathogenesis of navicular disease.