Standing fracture repair in the Thoroughbred racehorse is a safe and acceptable approach that produces similar results to fracture repair under general anesthesia. Propagating medial metacarpal/metatarsal fractures or fractures of the proximal phalanx in the hind limb are the types of fractures where this technique has the greatest advantage as it eliminates the risks associated with general anesthesia. Other advantages to this technique include the ability to do surgery immediately following fracture, reduction in surgical time and overall reduction in cost to the client compared to fractures that require plating. Additionally there are certain cases that are not amenable to general anesthesia; therefore, having another technique to address these fractures is of significant value to the surgeon. Once comfortable with the technique, the surgeon will often utilize this technique with greater frequency.
