Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Enthesopathy and desmitis of the medial collateral ligament of the cubital joint in 4 horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Dabareiner, Robin M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Four horses were examined for issues with a ligament in their front legs, which caused them to limp severely on one side. They showed signs of pain when their legs were handled, and two had some swelling in the area near their armpits. X-rays showed changes in the bones and ligaments, indicating chronic problems despite the horses having only recently started limping. All four horses were treated with a medication called phenylbutazone and were given time to rest. After about three months, they were all free of lameness and were able to return to their normal activities after six months, suggesting a good chance of recovery with the right treatment.
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: 4 horses with enthesopathy and desmitis of the medial collateral ligament of the cubital joint were examined. CLINICAL FINDINGS: All 4 horses had a history of acute, severe, unilateral forelimb lameness and had signs of pain during manipulation of the affected upper forelimb; 2 also had swelling in the axillary region. There was no improvement in lameness after diagnostic local analgesia below the carpal region, and 1 of 4 horses had mild improvement after cubital joint analgesia. Radiography revealed enthesophyte formation on the radial tuberosity and linear mineralization of the medial collateral ligament in 2 horses and periosteal reaction on the humeral condyle in all 4 horses. One horse had mild osteoarthritis of the cubital joint, and 3 had osteophytosis of the cranial aspect of the radius. Although all horses were initially examined because of an acute onset of lameness, all had chronic abnormalities visible on imaging. Ultrasonography revealed an irregular boney contour and enthesopathy at the insertion of the short medial collateral ligament to the radial tuberosity and desmitis of the short medial collateral ligament. Two horses had radiographic evidence of similar but less severe lesions of the contralateral cubital joint. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: All horses received phenylbutazone and rest. All horses were free of lameness after a median of 3 months (range, 2 to 4 months) and returned to previous use after a median of 6 months (range, 3 to 8 months). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results of the present report suggested that performance horses with enthesopathy and desmitis of the medial collateral ligament of the cubital joint may have a good prognosis for return to previous use following appropriate treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23547681/