Classically, treating horses with small defects in the cartilage lining the ends of joints and the layer of bone directly underneath (the subchondral bone) could be summarized by the mantra, "If in doubt, cut it out." Now, Cornell University surgeons are saying, "If you want sound, pin it down."

"The traditional means of treating OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) lesions in the (stifle) joint have been by removing the flap of cartilage that is dislodged from the underlying bone and debriding or curetting (scraping out) the diseased subchondral bone," said Alan J. Nixon, BVSc, Dipl. ACVS, director of the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

This treatment approach can result in permanent loss of the subchondral bone, which in some cases can cause the joint to become unstable. An unstable joint negatively impacts soundness, performance, and can lead to the development of osteoarthritis.

In an attempt to abrogate these OCD-related complications, Nixon and colleagues tried a different approach: reattaching the cartilage to the underlying bone using tiny degradable pins