Sites of anesthetic block of the lateral and medial palmar metacarpal nerves in equines of indeterminate breed

ABSTRACT

Background: Local anesthesia blockage at equines claudication diagnosis besides favoring the beginning of the therapyand relieving patients pain, it allows the identification of the specific affected region and its origin, however, if it isdone incorrectly (by improper volume of anesthetics application and/or mistakenly nerve identification due to the lack ofanatomic referential) it may cause inflammation, infection or even tissue necrosis. The aim was describing anatomicallylateral and medial palmar metacarpal nerves in equines to improve diagnostic anesthetic block techniques on four metacarpophalangeal articulation joints of the specie.Materials, Methods & Results: A number of 20 thoracic limbs from 10 equines of indeterminate breed were used to befixated in 10% phormaldehyde and with a marked arterial system by water solution of red dyed latex. The structures wereidentified by dissection, and their denomination bases on Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (N.A.V.) by the InternationalCommittee on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature. The study had been approved by the Board of Ethics in AnimalUse of the University Center of Patos de Minas (UNIPAM), protocol n° 18/17. The lateral and medial palmar metacarpalnerves have been observed in all of the specimens originated from the deep branch of lateral palmar nerve, immediatelydistal to the intercarpal articulation. After its origin, the first nerve stretched ipsilaterally from the common trunk, whilstthe second nerve positioned counter-lateral manner after superficially crossing the interosseus muscle. Both penetrated atthe level of the mid third of the referred muscle and the metacarpal bone III and, assumed respectively a parallel medialposition to the metacarpal bone IV and lateral to the metacarpal II, being intimately associated to the palmar face of themetacarpal bone III. Distally, those nerves emerged from a palmar position to a lateral and medial to...(AU)