Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinical findings and management of six horses with subtendinous bursitis of the long digital extensor tendon in the hind limb fetlock.
- Journal:
- Veterinary surgery : VS
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Iglesias-García, Manuel et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Equine Surgery · Spain
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study looked at six horses diagnosed with subtendinous bursitis, which is inflammation of a fluid-filled sac near the long digital extensor tendon in the hind leg. All the horses showed similar signs, such as swelling under the tendon at the fetlock joint, but they did not show any lameness. Three of the horses had surgery to clean out the affected area, and two of them had great cosmetic results afterward, although one horse had a recurrence of the issue. The other three horses that were treated without surgery did not see any improvement. Overall, the study suggests that surgery may be a good option for this condition if other treatments don't work.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the history, clinical signs, and management of six horses in which subtendinous bursitis of the long digital extensor tendon (LDET) in the hind limb fetlock had been diagnosed. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SAMPLE POPULATION: Six privately owned horses. METHODS: The medical records of horses presented at the hospital with similar sypmtoms were evaluated and collected. Finally 6 horses met the inclusion criteria and the relevant data were compiled and analysed. In three of the six cases a surgical treatment was carried out. RESULTS: All horses had similar clinical signs, mainly distention beneath the long digital extensor tendon (LDET) at the level of the hind limb fetlock without associated lameness; the major issues were the presence of cosmetic defects and concern about their functional use in the future. Three of the six horses were treated surgically with bursoscopic debridement. The cosmetic results were excellent in two of these three horses. One horse that underwent an operation experienced a recurrence. None of the horses with bursitis treated medically experienced resolution of the problem. CONCLUSION: Bursoscopy is a technique to consider for the management of bursitis of the LDET at the level of the fetlock combined with prolonged bandage application when medical treatment has failed to manage the condition. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: To the best of our knowledge, subtendinous bursitis of the LDET in the hind limb is not a commonly diagnosed condition. This small case series provides some insight into methods for the clinical management of this issue.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31444890/