Use of intra-articular administration of ethyl alcohol for arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal joint in healthy horses.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra-articular administration of ethyl alcohol for arthrodesis of tarsometatarsal joints in horses. ANIMALS: 8 healthy female horses without lameness or radiographic evidence of tarsal joint osteoarthritis. PROCEDURE: In each horse, 1 tarsometatarsal joint was treated with 4 mL of 70% ethyl alcohol and the opposite joint was treated with 4 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol. Lameness examinations were performed daily for 2 weeks, followed by monthly evaluations for the duration of the 12-month study. Radiographic evaluations of both tarsi were performed 1 month after injection and every 3 months thereafter. Gross and histologic examinations of the tarsi were undertaken at completion of the study. RESULTS: Horses had minimal to no lameness associated with the treatments. Radiography revealed that 8 of 16 joints were fused by 4 months after treatment, with significantly more joints fused in the 70% ethyl alcohol group. Fifteen of 16 joints were considered fused at postmortem examination at 12 months. Gross and histologic examinations revealed foci of dense mature osteonal bone spanning the joint spaces. Bony fusion appeared to be concentrated on the dorsolateral, centrolateral, and plantarolateral aspects of the joints. Significant differences were not detected between treatment groups for lameness or pathologic findings. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of ethyl alcohol into the tarsometatarsal joint of healthy horses appeared to facilitate arthrodesis of the joint in a pain-free manner. Results warrant further investigation into the potential use of ethyl alcohol in horses clinically affected with osteoarthritis of the tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints.

A dorsal approach for the removal of the nasal septum in the horse.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate a technique involving a dorsal approach for the removal of the nasal septum in adult horses. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. ANIMALS: Four client-owned horses. METHODS: Access for partial nasal septum resection was through a dorsal nasal bone flap. Septum resection was performed because of reduced airflow from septal deviation and/or thickening caused by traumatic insult or neoplasia. Preoperative clinical signs and diagnostic results were recorded. Intra- and postoperative complications were noted and follow-up information was obtained from telephone interviews of owners or by clinical examination. RESULTS: The abnormal segment of the nasal septum was completely removed in all horses. A dorsal nasal bone flap approach provided excellent access to the septum and allowed immediate control of hemorrhage; blood transfusion was not needed. Cosmetic results were considered good to excellent by owners and horses returned to their previous level of work without perceived limitations associated with airway function. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal septum resection by the dorsal approach permits good observation of the abnormal septum, and provides exposure that facilitates removal of nasal masses and reduction of depression fractures with minimal complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A dorsal nasal bone flap approach should be considered for horses that require nasal septum resection because it can be achieved with minimal hemorrhage, good cosmetic results, and return to function.

Causes of gastrointestinal colic in horses in western Canada: 604 cases (1992 to 2002).

The medical records of equine gastrointestinal colic cases presented to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine between 1992 and 2002 are reviewed. There was no breed predisposition to colic. Geldings were more prone to colic than females and stallions. Overall, the 3 most common causes of colic were large colon impaction (20.8%), large colon displacement (16.5%), and spasmodic colic (11.7%), after excluding the 13% of cases in which the diagnosis was undetermined. Of the medical cases, large colon impaction (38.4%) and spasmodic colic (22.5%) were the most common. Of the surgical cases, large colon displacement (24.5%), large colon torsion (14.3%), and strangulating lipoma (13.5%) were the most common. Recovery rate for the medical cases was 93.6%. Recovery rate for surgical cases was 73.5%. In conclusion, most of the equine colic cases were medical, and the recovery rates for both surgical and medical cases were comparable with those of other studies.

In situ coagulation and transection of the ovarian pedicle: an alternative to laparoscopic ovariectomy in juvenile horses.

The feasibility of leaving the ovaries within the peritoneal cavity after laparoscopic coagulation and transection of the ovarian pedicle was assessed in the juvenile horse. Elective ovariectomy was performed on 10 quarter horses, aged 4 to 5 mo, with the fillies in a Trendelenburg position. The mesovarium was isolated, and multiple coagulation and transection cycles were performed until all ovarian attachments had been severed. The ovaries were dropped within the abdomen, and hemostasis of the transected mesovarium was evaluated before closure. The mean surgical time was 33 min (range, 23 to 48 min). Ten weeks after surgery the fillies were humanely euthanized. At postmortem examination, the ovary location within the abdomen was noted. In 1 horse, there was an abdominal adhesion; viscera had been punctured during insufflation. Of the 20 ovaries, 4 were free-floating within the abdominal cavity; the other 16 were enveloped in the free portion of the greater omentum in the cranioventral abdomen. Histologic examination of the ovaries was performed to assess follicle cell viability. In both the free-floating and the attached ovaries, the deep blood vessels and all examined follicular structures were necrotic and partially mineralized. Laparoscopic electrosurgical transection of the ovarian pedicle without removal of the ovaries should be considered an alternative to other ovariectomy techniques that may be performed in young female horses.