‘Extremely specialised’ foraminotomy surgery available at UC Davis

UC Davis is now offering an “extremely specialised” equine surgery.

The California institution is able to offer foraminotomy surgery for horses following the arrival of renowned equine surgeon Carter Judy as a clinical professor and the addition of a dedicated large bore equine CT scanner.

The scanner, installed at the William R Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s (VMTH) new All Species Imaging Center, allows for cervical foraminal stenosis to be diagnosed; traditional CT scanners don’t allow for imaging near the base of the neck where the condition normally occurs.

Imaging

Dr Judy performed the surgery for a year at his previous clinic, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, California.

Prior to the addition of the equine CT scanner, he was able to perform it at UC Davis with imaging acquired from other hospitals.

On the equine scanner, Dr Judy said: “It’s really helped us to get better diagnoses, much more accurately, that we’re now able to do a lot of these advanced procedures with much more directed approaches.”

Training

With the scanner in place, wait times and travel requirements are said to be greatly reduced, and with fellow UC Davis faculty surgeons Scott Katzman and Heidi Reesink having recently completed training in the procedure, the VMTH is able to offer more appointment opportunities.

Cervical foraminal stenosis – a narrowing of an intervertebral opening where the limb nerve root exits the spinal column – can be caused by arthritis, bone spurs, disc herniation, or thickened ligaments and can result in pain and numbness that can develop into lameness and behavioural issues.

The surgery is said to be minimally invasive and can prompt improvement in many horses within 24 hours.

One of the first horses to undergo the surgery at UC Davis, 4-year-old Oldenburg mare Frida, had issues with hind-limb weakness, range-of-motion and coordination problems, all of which have been corrected by the foraminotomy.

Owner Courtney Briones said: “She’s a lot happier. She’s a lot more alert. I’m actually very encouraged by how she looks today.”