Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fungal osteitis of the axial aspect of the mid body of the medial proximal sesamoid bone in a horse.
- Journal:
- The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Merchán, Alejandro et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Studies · Canada
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old American Quarter Horse was treated for a serious lameness issue, rated as a grade 4 out of 5, which means he was very lame. He also had swelling in the joint of his leg, but initial X-rays and ultrasounds didn’t show any problems. After a few days in the hospital, doctors finally found signs of bone damage and performed a minimally invasive surgery to clean out the affected area. They discovered a fungal infection in the bone, and after 12 days of treatment, the horse was able to walk normally again and return to barrel racing without any complications. This case highlights the importance of quickly identifying and treating fungal infections in bones to achieve a good recovery.
Abstract
The satisfactory outcome of fungal osteitis in an 8-year-old American Quarter Horse is described. The horse was admitted with a grade 4 out of 5 lameness and exhibited metacarpophalangeal synovial effusion, indicative of a mild suppurative inflammation. Results of initial radiographic and ultrasonographic examination were unremarkable. Intra-articular anesthesia of the metacarpophalangeal joint allowed localization of the insult. It was not until day 6 of hospitalization when lytic changes on the axial aspect were observed on radiographic examination. Arthroscopic examination permitted identification and debridement of the affected bone. Fungal culture of the bone yieldedspp. The horse was sound at the time of discharge after 12 days of hospitalization. No complications occurred in the post-operative period and the horse resumed his initial level of activity and competition in barrel racing. Key clinical message: To our knowledge, this is the first description of successful outcome of a fungal osteitis of the sesamoid bones following arthroscopic debridement. We hypothesize that the satisfactory outcome is associated with early recognition of the condition and aggressive debridement of the lesion arthroscopically.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34341602/