Surgical Services
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1. Stem cell treatment of soft tissue injuries |
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We are currently engaged in a cooperative study with Dr. Alan Nixon at Cornell University involved in treating soft tissue injuries with bone marrow-derived stem cells. Bone marrow is taken from the horse’s sternum under sedation and local anesthesia. It is shipped overnight to Dr. Nixon’s lab at Cornell. There, the stem cells are isolated and cultured with various growth stimulants to induce them to multiply. When they reach sufficient numbers, the stem cells are shipped back to us where we inject them into the injured tendon or ligament using ultrasound guidance. Our work over the last two years has shown this to be a very effective way to treat and heal injured tendons and ligaments in horses. Stem cell repairs tend to have more strength with less random scaring which has shown to decrease the reinjury rate in equine athletes. |
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| Harvesting bone marrow | Ultrasound-guided stem cell injection | ||
