Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A novel approach to ear pain in the horse: A case report.
- Journal:
- Open veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Lardone, Elena et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Science · Italy
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old Italian jumping gelding needed treatment for a type of tumor called a fibroblastic sarcoid in its ear. To make the procedure more comfortable and reduce the need for full anesthesia, the veterinarians used a special technique to numb the ear while the horse was lightly sedated. They injected a local anesthetic into specific areas of the ear and successfully performed the treatment without any issues. The horse recovered well and was back to normal about an hour and fifteen minutes after the sedation. Overall, this method worked well for managing ear pain during the procedure.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: During electrochemotherapy (ECT), a chemotherapeutic drug is injected into the tumor and then an electroporation is provided. In horses, ear manipulation may be very painful, and combining a loco-regional technique with sedation might be a good option to avoid anesthesia-related risks. A two-injection-point block of the internal and external pinna and acoustic meatus was described in horse cadavers, and it permitted complete stain of all three branches of the great auricular nerve (GAN), internal auricular nerve branch (IAB), lateral auricular branch (LAB), and caudal auricular nerve (CAN), suggesting a lower risk of intra-parotid injection during the IAB and LAB block. CASE DESCRIPTION: An 8-year-old Italian jumping gelding presented for ECT to treat a fibroblastic sarcoid in the left medial pinna. After intravenous sedation with acepromazine, romifidine, and butorphanol, a two-injection-point block was provided as previously described. The block of the GAN was blind, whereas an electrical nerve locator was used for the IAB, LAB, and CAN. A total of 12 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine was injected. The ECT was safely performed without any difficulties. The horse well tolerated the procedure and completely recovered 75 minutes after sedation. No complications were detected. CONCLUSION: The described approach seems feasible and suitable for the blockade of the sensory innervation of the equine ear in the case of ECT.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38938434/