Equine bone core biopsy: Evaluation of collection sites using a new electric drilling machine

The purpose of this study is to assess the use of a new bone biopsy set to obtain corticocancellous bone core at different sampling sites (i.e., rib, sternum, tuber coxae) in the horse. Bone biopsies were made in three tranqu ilized standing horses and postmortem in eight horses. The electric drill u sed provided a 4-mm bone core biopsy of a maximum length of 28 mm. When use d in the tranquilized horses with local anesthesia, handling of the biopsy drill was easy and the procedure was safe for both the animal and the opera tor. The tuber coxae is the most convenient sampling site from which a bone biopsy was obtained in all animals, whereas one sternal and two rib biopsi es could not be taken in tow obese animals. Sternum is recommended for hema topoietic bone marrow evaluation. Cortical bone was present in greater quan tity in the rib, but one rib fractured after sampling. Cancellous bone was better preserved in tuber coxae and sternum.