{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,2]],"date-time":"2025-11-02T15:47:58Z","timestamp":1762098478147,"version":"3.38.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)","issue":"12","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["javma"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,6,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Objective<\/jats:bold>\u2014To assess postoperative probability of racing, career longevity, and convalescent time in Thoroughbred racehorses with moderate to severe superficial digital flexor tendonitis (SDFT) in the forelimbs treated by desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon (ie, superior check ligament desmotomy [SCLD]).<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Design<\/jats:bold>\u2014Retrospective case series.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Animals<\/jats:bold>\u2014332 Thoroughbred racehorses with SDFT consecutively treated by means of SCLD.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Procedures<\/jats:bold>\u2014Medical records and racing records were reviewed to assess return to racing, number of races completed, time to first race, and lifetime performance. The horses were categorized as raced or unraced prior to and after surgery. Descriptive statistics including age and treated limb were also recorded.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\u2014Of 332 horses, 228 (69%) returned to racing following injury and treatment. Seventy-eight of 118 (66%) horses that had not raced prior to injury and 150 of 214 (70%) horses that had raced prior to injury raced after treatment. Seventeen of 39 (44%) horses \u2265 5 years old raced following injury and treatment and 211 of 293 (72%) horses \u2264 4 years old returned to racing. There was no difference in the percentages of horses returning to racing for 2-, 3-, or 4-year olds. Postoperative infections occurred in 6 of the 332 (2%) horses. Median time to first race for horses that raced after surgery was 302 days (range, 48 to 1,120 days; mean \u00b1 SD, 341 \u00b1 153 days), with a median of 8 starts\/horse after surgery (range, 1 to 109 starts; mean \u00b1 SD, 14 \u00b1 15.8 starts). Of 228 horses that returned to racing, 159 (70%) raced \u2265 5 times after surgery. Sex and treated limb did not have a significant effect on return to racing. However, horses \u2265 5 years old were significantly less likely to return to racing, compared with younger horses. In horses with unilateral SDFT and &lt; 5 starts, the affected and contralateral limbs were both treated, but return to racing was not significantly different between horses treated bilaterally versus unilaterally.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions and Clinical Relevance<\/jats:bold>\u2014228 of 332 (69%) horses with SDFT of the forelimb treated with SCLD successfully returned to racing. Convalescent times were shorter, compared with previous recommendations, and treated horses had a longer racing career after surgery than has been described for other treatment modalities. The results of the present study support consideration of SCLD as part of a treatment plan for SDFT in Thoroughbred racehorses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.244.12.1441","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,28]],"date-time":"2014-05-28T13:23:12Z","timestamp":1401283392000},"page":"1441-1448","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Racing performance of Thoroughbreds with superficial digital flexor tendonitis treated with desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon: 332 cases (1989\u20132003)"],"prefix":"10.2460","volume":"244","author":[{"given":"Alaine J.","family":"Hu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Larry R.","family":"Bramlage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1272","reference":[{"key":"ref1","series-title":"Superficial digital flexor tendonitis","first-page":"706","article-title":"Superficial digital flexor tendonitis","author":"Ross","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref2","series-title":"Equine Vet J","first-page":"346","article-title":"Prevalence of superficial digital flexor tendonitis and suspensory desmitis in Japanese Thoroughbred flat racehorses in 1999","volume":"36","author":"Kasashima","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref3","series-title":"Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1016\/S0749-0739(17)30557-6","article-title":"Lameness diagnosis and treatment in the Thoroughbred racehorse","volume":"6","author":"Ferraro","year":"1990"},{"key":"ref4","series-title":"Equine Vet J","first-page":"415","article-title":"Medical management of superficial digital flexor tendonitis: a comparative study in 219 horses (1992\u20132000)","volume":"36","author":"Dyson","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref5","series-title":"Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract","first-page":"129","article-title":"Clinical experience with quantitative analysis of superficial digital flexor tendon injures in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses","volume":"6","author":"Genovese","year":"1993"},{"key":"ref6","series-title":"Equine Vet J","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2042-3306.2011.00363.x","article-title":"Implantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells demonstrates improved outcome in horses with overstrain injury of the superficial digital flexor tendon","volume":"44","author":"Godwin","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref7","series-title":"Superior check desmotomy as a treatment for superficial digital flexor tendonitis. Initial report","first-page":"365","author":"Bramlage","year":"1986"},{"key":"ref8","series-title":"Vet Surg","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1532-950X.1991.tb01254.x","article-title":"Desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor muscle in equine cadaver limbs","volume":"20","author":"Shoemaker","year":"1991"},{"key":"ref9","series-title":"Vet Surg","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"522","DOI":"10.1053\/jvet.2001.28433","article-title":"Effects of superior check desmotomy on flexor tendon and suspensory ligament strain in equine cadaver limbs","volume":"30","author":"Alexander","year":"2001"},{"key":"ref10","series-title":"Long-term effects of surgical treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis by superior check desmotomy","first-page":"655","author":"Bramlage","year":"1988"},{"key":"ref11","series-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc","first-page":"674","article-title":"Transection of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor muscle for the treatment of superficial digital flexor tendinitis in Standardbreds: 40 cases (1988\u20131992)","volume":"206","author":"Hawkins","year":"1995"},{"key":"ref12","series-title":"Aust Vet J","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"631","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1751-0813.1997.tb15356.x","article-title":"Superficial digital flexor tendonitis in thoroughbred race horses: outcome following non-surgical treatment and superior check desmotomy","volume":"75","author":"Gibson","year":"1997"},{"key":"ref13","series-title":"Aust Vet J","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1751-0813.1994.tb03417.x","article-title":"Superior check ligament desmotomy for treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis in Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses","volume":"71","author":"Fulton","year":"1994"},{"key":"ref14","series-title":"Equine Vet J","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2042-3306.1995.tb03066.x","article-title":"Transection of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon for treatment of tendinitis: long term results in 61 Standardbred racehorses (1985\u20131992)","volume":"27","author":"Hogan","year":"1995"},{"key":"ref15","series-title":"Surgical management of superficial digital flexor tendinitis","first-page":"291","author":"Ross","year":"1997"},{"key":"ref16","series-title":"McIlwraith & Turner's equine surgery: advanced techniques","first-page":"182","article-title":"Superior check ligament desmotomy","author":"McIlwraith","year":"1998"},{"key":"ref17","series-title":"Treatment of superficial digital flexor tendinitis: a comparison of conservative management, sodium hyaluronate, and glycosaminoglycan polysulfate","first-page":"297","author":"Dyson","year":"1997"},{"key":"ref18","series-title":"Equine Vet J","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"322","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2042-3306.2009.00021.x","article-title":"An investigation of the relationship between race performance and superficial digital flexor tendonitis in the Thoroughbred racehorse","volume":"42","author":"O'Meara","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref19","series-title":"Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.1016\/S0749-0739(17)30363-2","article-title":"Practical management of superficial digital flexor tendonitis in the performance horse","volume":"10","author":"Palmer","year":"1994"}],"container-title":["Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/javma\/244\/12\/javma.244.12.1441.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/javma\/244\/12\/javma.244.12.1441.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/javma\/244\/12\/javma.244.12.1441.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,7]],"date-time":"2025-03-07T11:42:30Z","timestamp":1741347750000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/javma\/244\/12\/javma.244.12.1441.xml"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014,6,15]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2460\/javma.244.12.1441","relation":{},"ISSN":["0003-1488"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0003-1488"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2014,6,15]]}}}