This study aimed to grade joint abnormalities in horses submitted to therapeutic arthroscopy using score-based protocols for equine joint assessment, correlated with arthroscopic treatment outcomes and owner satisfaction. In this prospective study, we evaluated 126 joints of athletic horses referred for arthroscopy. The joints were scored according to findings of medical history and physical, radiographic, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic examination. Lameness, positive response to flexion test and decreased maximum joint flexion angle were detected in more than 50% of joints. Soft tissue swelling, sclerosis, subchondral bone osteolysis and single osteochondral fragments were the most common radiographic findings. Ultrasonographic examination revealed changes in synovial fluid volume and appearance, and subchondral bone irregularities. Increased vascularity of the synovial villi, chondral fibrillation, chondral fissures and superficial cartilage erosions were the most significant arthroscopic findings. The approaches that demonstrated greater sensitivity and correlation with treatment outcome and owner satisfaction were medical history, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic examination. The scoring protocol employed to grade joint abnormalities enabled the creation of a joint score system for the objective assessment, thus determining the most frequent findings and establishing an injury severity score for each joint.

No abstract

A realização de cirurgias convencionais, mesmo com a utilização recomendada de fármacos analgésicos, geralmente está associada a um período de recuperação longo, além de causar estresse, dor e desconforto nos animais, dependendo do grau de invasão do procedimento. Considerando a crescente busca por métodos que minimizem o estresse cirúrgico em cães, reduzindo o período de recuperação pós-cirúrgico, o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido para avaliar a técnica de colopexia laparoscópica em relação aos níveis de cortisol plasmático, as frequências respiratórias, e as frequências cardíacas nos períodos pré, trans e pós-operatório imediatos. Foram utilizados nove cães, fêmeas adultas, SRD. As coletas sanguíneas para mensuração dos níveis de cortisol, e os parâmetros de frequências respiratórias (FR) e cardíacas (FC) foram efetuadas a partir do préoperatório até o término do procedimento. Após esse período, a tomada de dados foi realizada de três em três horas até completar as primeiras 12 horas pós-operatórias. Os níveis de cortisol foram mensurados com a utilização de Kit ELISA para cortisol. Os resultados foram submetidos à ANOVA e ao teste de Tukey, considerando as diferenças significativas p < 0,05. Aumentos dos níveis de cortisol, FR e FC foram verificados principalmente no período após tricotomia, mantendo-se constantes no transcirúrgico, com um novo aumento no pós-operatório imediato, no período de recuperação anestésica. Tais parâmetros retornaram aos valores basais nove horas após o término da operação. Conclui-se que a colopexia laparoscópica causa estresse ao paciente, contudo os valores de cortisol plasmático apresentaram-se dentro de valores fisiológicos para a espécie em estudo e tenderam ao retorno às condições basais, nove horas após a operação.

This retrospective study was based on data extracted from medical records of 48 horses with intestinal obstruction caused by enteroliths and/or foreign bodies seen over the course of 17 years. Data analysis was aimed at describing the major features of this type of colic. Obstructions caused by enteroliths, foreign bodies or both accounted for 40 (83.34%), 6 (12.50%) and 2 (4.16%) cases in this sample respectively. Affected horses were aged 1 to 32 years (mean age 9.5 years) and 14 horses were fed alfalfa. Alfalfa is thought to contribute to enterolith formation. Foreign bodies and enteroliths were found in the transverse (12 cases, 25%), the large or the small colon (10 cases, 20.83% respectively). Concurrent obstruction of different intestinal segments was also recorded. These involved the small and the large colon in 10 cases (20.83%), the transverse and the large colon in 4 cases (8.33%), the small and the transverse colon in 1 case (2.08%) and the transition from the large to the transverse colon in one case (2.08%). Short term survival was 77.08% overall and 87.50% when only patients submitted to postoperative treatment were accounted for. Survival data are consistent with survival rates of 91% reported in literature.

Background: Rhinosporidiosis is considered an endemic disease in some countries and can affect several species of animals, among them, also equines. In this specie, although the nasal cavity is the most common site of infection, in some cases, it could also be spotted in the larynx region. The present study had as an objective to describe two cases of rhinosporidiosis in horses, one of them nasal and the other in the laryngeal area.Cases: Horse 1. A 12-year-old male Standardbred was sent to the veterinary hospital for the resection of the formation presented in the mucocutaneous junction of the left nostril. During the physical exam, a red mass of a moderately consistency, with an irregular, verrucous, pedunculated and ulcerated surface was observed, measuring approximately 2 centimeters in diameter. The surgical procedure for the resection of the mass was done through the use of the electrocautery technique, with the animal sedated with a romifidine dose of 0.08 mg/kg, a butorphanol dose of 0.04 mg/kg and a local anesthesia of 2% lidocaine. Eight months after the surgical procedure, the animal returned to the hospital and the presence of three new masses was noted in the same nostril, around the region where the extracted mass used to be found and they resembled the previous lesions. The horse’s owner didn’t authorize a new surgery or a new histopathological exam of the lesions. Horse 2. The other case refers to an asymptomatic 15-year-old male mixed breed. During a routine gastroscopic exam, the presence of several reddish coloration nodular and polypoid formations of irregular surface was observed in the larynx. Only one formation in the dorsal portion of the pharynx was observed. During the macroscopic exam, it was observed heterogeneously formation with a grayish-white color and soft consistency aspect. The surgical procedure for the resection of the mass, also through electrocautery, was performed with the animal, previously sedated with a detomidine dose of 0.01 mg/kg and a butorphanol dose of 0.02 mg/kg through intravenous. The contact plate of the electrocautery was fixed to the left side of the animal's neck. After the introduction of the endoscope through the nostril and advancing to the pharynx and larynx, lidocaine 2% without a vasoconstrictor was sprayed in the region. The polyps were individually wrapped by the polypectomy loop, passed through the endoscope operational channel and, at this time, the electrocautery was activated. After the treatment, periodical return appointments were made for the next two months. During the fourth appointment, the animal presented, in the endoscopy, a relapse of a few formations which were, again, removed with electrocautery. The histopathological exam in both cases was characterized by the presence of sporangia that was distributed homogeneously across the submucosal blade interspersed with mild to moderate mixed inflammatory infiltration composed predominantly of lymphoplasmic cells, followed by neutrophils and macrophages, as well as some hemorrhage area and the presence of macrophages with hemosiderin. These histopathological findings were consistent with rhinosporidiosis.Discussion: Rhinosporidiosis in horses, although rare, must be considered not only in cases of nasal formations, their most common form, but also in laryngeal cases, while the use of electrocautery is an efficient technique in the removal of the lesions, allowing for a good tissue healing and no postoperative complications. Nevertheless, follow-ups after treatment is always recommended to identify possible relapses.