Microvasculature of the suspensory ligament of the equine hind limb

Am J Vet Res. 2024 Apr 20:1-9. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.24.01.0019. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE: To describe the microvascular anatomy of the equine hind limb suspensory ligament.ANIMALS: 18 hind limbs harvested from 9 adult horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to lameness.METHODS: A catheter was placed in the transected cranial tibial artery at the level of the mid-distal tibia for each hind limb and used to inject 120 to 150 mL of contrast medium (2 limbs) to identify principal vasculature using contrast-enhanced CT or India ink (11 limbs) to identify microvasculature using the Spalteholz tissue-clearing technique. Routine histologic evaluation was performed on transverse sections from 4 hind limbs.RESULTS: The hind limb suspensory ligament is principally supplied by branches of the medial and lateral plantar metatarsal arteries and, to a lesser extent, the medial and lateral plantar arteries as well as the associated proximal and distal deep plantar arches. A uniformly distributed intraligamentous microvascular supply was observed without relative deficiencies in vascularity between the proximal, midbody, and distal regions. Histologic examination supported these findings, demonstrating a network of connective tissue surrounding and entering the suspensory ligament containing cross-sections of branches of the principal vasculature.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The equine hind limb suspensory ligament has a uniformly distributed and abundant microvascular supply throughout it...
Source: American Journal of Veterinary Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research