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HORSES with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the distil intermediate ridge of the tibia (IRT) often have clinical signs of inflammation of the tarsocrural joint (TCJ) ( Birkeland and Haakenstad 1968 , Haakenstad and Birkeland 1974 , Lindsell and others 1983 , McIlwraith 1996 ). The majority of affected horses have joint effusion, and some horses are also lame or have a positive reaction to flexion of the hind limb ( Birkeland and Haakenstad 1968 , Haakenstad and Birkeland 1974 , Lindsell and others 1983 , McIlwraith 1996 , McIlwraith and others 2005 ). The treatment of horses with OCD of the IRT is controversial. Most equine clinicians consider arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments to be the best treatment ( Birkeland and Haakenstad 1968 , DeMoor and others 1972 , Haakenstad and Birkeland 1974 , Strömberg and Rejnö 1978 , Zeller and others 1978 , Sønnichsen and Hansen 1985 , McIlwraith and others 1991 , Laws and others 1993 , Beard and others 1994 , McIlwraith 1996 , Riley and others 1998 ), but conservative treatment consisting of rest and limited exercise is also advocated by some clinicians ( Meagher 1974 , Zeller and others 1978 , Lindsell and others 1983 , Rose and others 1985 , Laws and others 1993 ).
Many retrospective studies document the incidence, clinical signs and results of treatment of horses with OCD of the TCJ ( Birkeland and Haakenstad 1968 , DeMoor and others 1972 , Haakenstad and Birkeland 1974 , Strömberg and Rejnö 1978 , Zeller and others 1978 , Lindsell and others 1983 , Hoppe 1984 , Rose and others 1985 , Sandgren 1988 , 1993a , b , Alvarado and others 1989 , Grøndahl 1991 , McIlwraith and others 1991 , Carlsten and others 1993 , Laws and others 1993 , Beard and others 1994 , Grøndahl and others 1996 , McIlwraith 1996 , Jørgensen and others 1997 ), but to the authors' knowledge, the effect of removing OCD fragments from the TCJ on effusion, lameness, and reaction to a hindlimb flexion test has not been reported in horses examined both before and after surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine if effusion of the TCJ and lameness caused by OCD of the IRT could...