Complete resection of the alar folds in eight standing horses with a bipolar dividing and vessel-sealing device.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a resection technique of the alar folds in the standing horse.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective case study.

ANIMALS

Eight Standardbred racing trotters.

METHODS

Horses in which alar fold collapse had been diagnosed between 2017 and 2018 were included in this study. All horses underwent alar fold resection under standing sedation and regional anesthesia with a bipolar electrosurgical open sealer/divider device (LigaSure). Intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare differences in median prize money earning pre-surgery and post-surgery (P < .05).

RESULTS

The surgical procedure was short (20-30 min), with minimal (1/8) to no (7/8) bleeding and was well tolerated in all cases. Complete resection of the alar folds along with 3 to 5 cm of the ventral conchal cartilage was achieved. No complications were observed post-surgery with satisfactory second intention healing, allowing return to training/racing within 3 to 6 weeks post-surgery in all cases. Median earnings post-surgery increased (P = .03) compared with pre-surgery.

CONCLUSION

Alar fold resection with bipolar electrosurgical energy offered a good alternative to the traditional surgical approaches performed under general anesthesia. The surgery significantly improved race earnings and performance while avoiding the risk associated with general anesthesia and offered a short and complication-free rehabilitation period.

CLINICAL IMPACT

This study describes a surgical technique offering a novel approach to resection of the alar folds in the standing horse.