Nerve Surgery

Question 1

What does compression of the suprascapular nerve cause?

Answer 1

• Suprascapular nerve paralysis –> “ Sweeney”
• Paralyzes supraspinatus and infraspinatus mm
• Caused by trauma

Question 2

What are the clinical signs of Sweeney?

Answer 2

• Outward excursion of the shoulder and muscle atrophy

Question 3

What are you trying to do in a supraspinatus nerve decompression surgery?

Answer 3

• Cut holes in the scapula, remove some bone with Gigli wire, make some more room for the nerve

Question 4

What is Stringhalt?

Answer 4

Sudden and involuntary flexion of the leg

Can be bilateral

Question 5

What are the clinical signs of stringhaltt?

Answer 5

Mild - severe flexion with fetlock contacting abdomen

Question 6

What are the causes of stringhalt?

Answer 6

• Unknown in US

- Weeds in Australia

Question 7

What are some treatments for stringhalt?

Answer 7

• Lateral digital extensor tenotomy
• Be sure to put in a drain due to dead space
• Close with the fascia around the muscle and the sub Q

Question 8

Why would you want to perform a palmar digital neurectomy?

Answer 8

• Neuroma formation, reinnervation (grows back over a

few years), hoof abscess

Question 9

Where do you want to make a cut for the palmer digital neurectomy?

Answer 9

Between the fetlock and coffin joints ** I don’t really know”

Question 10

From dorsal to palmer, what vessels do you find?

Answer 10

DORSAL: vein –> artery –> nerve –> :PALMER

• Vein will appear slightly blue
• Artery and nerve are usually together

Question 11

How do you want to drape the donkey leg for nerve ID lab?

Answer 11

• Place one drape over the hoof until the coronet is barely visible
• Cover the fetlock just above ergot

Question 12

How do you locate the nerve?

Answer 12

• Palpate a groove right under the lateral fetlock
• Feel for a structure that snaps back and forth when you palpate –> that is the vessel complex
• Use the belly of the blade to cut through the skin
• Spread the skin very carefully and locate the VAN complex
• With the tip of the scalpel in a pencil grip, separate the artery from the nerve
• Palpate the striations on the nerve to identify it
• Put 2-3 simple interrupted absorbable sutures on the SQ
• Put 4-5 cruciate non-absorbable sutures in the skin