Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Concurrent or sequential tibial subchondral cystic lesions in 4 horses with medial femoral condyle subchondral cystic lesions.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Bonilla, Alvaro G et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Four horses were examined because they were showing signs of chronic lameness in their back legs. All of them had been lame for at least six months, and X-rays showed they had cyst-like lesions in their knee joints. Two horses were treated with rest and pain relief medication, but unfortunately, they did not get better and had to be euthanized. The other two horses had surgery to try to fix the problem, but one still had lameness afterward and was also euthanized after about five months. The second horse showed some improvement and stopped limping about eleven months after surgery, but overall, the prognosis for these types of lesions is not good for horses wanting to return to athletic activities.
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION 4 horses were examined because of signs of chronic hind limb lameness. CLINICAL FINDINGS 3 horses had a history of lameness for > 6 months; specific duration was unknown for 1 horse. On initial evaluation, grade 3 to 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5) hind limb lameness was present in all 4 horses. Radiography of the stifle joint of the affected limb revealed medial femoral condyle subchondral lucencies or subchondral cystic lesions (SCLs) in all 4 horses, medial femorotibial osteoarthritis in 3 horses, and medial tibial condyle SCLs in 3 horses. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME 2 horses were treated medically (stall rest and oral NSAID administration), and 2 horses were treated surgically by means of medial femoral transcondylar lag screw placement through the medial femoral condyle SCLs. The 2 horses treated medically did not improve and were euthanized. Necropsy confirmed the presence of medial femoral condyle and medial tibial condyle SCLs. Surgical treatment did not resolve the lameness in 1 horse with SCLs in the medial tibial condyle and medial femoral condyle, and euthanasia was performed 150 days after surgery. In the second horse, a medial tibial condyle SCL was evident on radiographs obtained 3 months after surgery; however, this was not addressed surgically, and signs of lameness resolved 11 months after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of this small case series suggested that SCLs in the medial tibial condyle can occur in association with SCLs of the medial femoral condyle, with a poor prognosis for return to athletic function in affected horses. Further investigation is indicated.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27875085/