Injuries of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon in the equine hindlimb: A problem of middle-age

摘要

Historically the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon (ALDDFT) of equine hindlimbs was considered to be a vestigial structure that was variable in its presence or absence. However, since the advent of diagnostic ultrasonography in the early 1980s it has been recognised that the ALDDFT is usually present in hindlimbs, is somewhat variable in size (although typically bilaterally symmetrical), and generally the most echogenic of the plantar metatarsal soft tissue structures. The recent post-mortem study by Dr. Sofie Muylle and her colleagues at Ghent University, published in this issue of The Veterinary Journal, confirms and adds to these observations (Muylle et al., 2010). The ALDDFT was absent in 6% of 165 limbs, was variable in size, and occasionally was a bifid structure, a feature that I have not as yet recognised ultrasonographically.