Histologische Quantifizierung der Vaskularisation der oberflächlichen Beugesehnen an Gliedmaßenpräparaten von Warmblutpferden.

Tendinopathies of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) are among the most common injuries in sport horses. The aim of this study was to quantify the blood vessel supply of the SDFT in healthy horses and to investigate differences between forelimb and hindlimb vessel density and to compare different anatomical regions of the tendon. The SDFT of six horses were collected and histological cross-sections of them were prepared at three different levels (proximal, middle, distal). Immunohistochemistry for alpha smooth muscle actin was used to label the vessels and count them. The results showed that the vessel density was significantly lower in the middle third of the SDFT than in the proximal (p=0.015) and distal (p=0.015) regions. However, no significant differences in vascular density were observed between forelimb and hindlimb vessel quantities (p=0.3508). The histology and immunohistochemistry methods used were found to be adequate to quantify blood vessel supply. Vascular density was shown to be lowest in the middle third of the SDFT, where tendinopathies are most common. Blood vessel supply to the SDFT plays a role in the development of tendinopathies and a lower vessel density could lead to increased susceptibility to injury. This study provides new results on the quantity of blood vessel supply to the SDFT in healthy horses and suggests that further research is needed to better understand the pathophysiology of tendinopathies and to develop potential therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]