Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 9071

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Interests: musculoskeletal biology; orthopedic; regenerative medicine; surgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Interests: surgery; orthopedics; regenerative therapies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute an article to this Special Issue, titled “Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine”. We aim to create an article collection to share innovative perspectives from specialists across transdisciplinary research backgrounds (e.g., surgery, sports medicine, imaging, podiatry) to begin to address clinical questions in the fields of equine surgery and sports medicine.

In this Special Issue, we will welcome original research articles, communications, reviews, commentaries, registered reports, and case reports which present or discuss topics related to equine surgery and sports medicine. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, equine orthopedics, soft tissue procedures, lameness, diagnostic analgesia, imaging, rehabilitation, and podiatry.

Dr. Drew W. Koch
Dr. Lynn M. Pezzanite
Guest Editors

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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12 pages, 4996 KiB  
Article
Biomechanical Assessment of the Collateral Ligament of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint of the Horse Following Alterations to the Palmar Angle—A Cadaveric Study
by Sandro Colla, James W. Johnson, Kirk C. McGilvray, Gustavo M. Zanotto and Kathryn A. Seabaugh
Animals 2025, 15(3), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030406 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 699
Abstract
Therapeutic shoeing for horses is used to affect the palmar angle (PA) of the distal phalanx. These changes may influence the strain on the distal interphalangeal joint collateral ligaments (DIJCLs). This cadaveric study aimed to assess DIJCL strain under varying loads and PA [...] Read more.
Therapeutic shoeing for horses is used to affect the palmar angle (PA) of the distal phalanx. These changes may influence the strain on the distal interphalangeal joint collateral ligaments (DIJCLs). This cadaveric study aimed to assess DIJCL strain under varying loads and PA adjustments. Using 26 cadaver forelimbs, eight optical markers were placed on one DIJCL for strain measurement under five different loads (1000–5000 newtons) at a neutral PA, followed by PA increases of 2°, 4°, and 6° and decreases of −2° and −4°. The results indicate that increases in PA corresponded to significantly higher strain in the distal and mid distal portions, while 2° and 4° decreases in PA significantly reduced the strain in the proximal regions of the DIJCLs. Limitations include potential discrepancies between a cadaver and live biomechanics. This study concludes that increased PA increases distal DIJCL strain, while decreased PA decreases proximal strain. Further research is recommended to evaluate the practical implications of these findings in DIJCL injuries in horses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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17 pages, 2814 KiB  
Article
A Safety and Efficacy Study of a Synthetic Biolubricant in an Equine Model of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
by Lauren K. Luedke, Kathryn A. Seabaugh, Benjamin G. Cooper, Brian D. Snyder, Markus A. Wimmer, C. Wayne McIlwraith, Myra F. Barrett, Christopher E. Kawcak, Mark W. Grinstaff and Laurie R. Goodrich
Animals 2025, 15(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030404 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 648
Abstract
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common cause of lameness in the horse. There is no cure, therefore treatments are aimed at reducing pain and improving the joint environment by modifying inflammatory pathways or by viscosupplementation. Here, we report the safety and efficacy of [...] Read more.
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common cause of lameness in the horse. There is no cure, therefore treatments are aimed at reducing pain and improving the joint environment by modifying inflammatory pathways or by viscosupplementation. Here, we report the safety and efficacy of the biolubricant (poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine; pMPC) to mitigate the physical, gross, histological, and biochemical effects of arthritis. We created an osteochondral fragment in the middle carpal joint of one limb in 16 horses to induce PTOA; the contralateral limb served as a sham-operated joint. Two weeks postoperative, half (n = 8) of the horses received a single injection of pMPC in the PTOA joint, while the other half received saline. All sham-operated joints (n = 16) received saline. We conducted clinical evaluations weekly while synovial fluid biomarkers were measured biweekly during the 70-day study period. Subsequently, we performed postmortem gross and histologic analyses. Horses in which PTOA joints were treated with pMPC exhibited mild increases in clinical data, including lameness, effusion, and flexion scores. Similarly, synovial cell count, total protein, and prostaglandin E2 values were higher for pMPC-treated joints. Radiographic changes included significantly higher osteophyte scores in pMPC-treated joints at the terminal timepoint. The biolubricant may demonstrate some chondroprotective effects with lower total erosion scores and higher cartilage glycosaminoglycan content. In summary, when pMPC is administered to PTOA joints, the biolubricant induces a mild inflammatory response but may offer some chondroprotective effects in horses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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15 pages, 5466 KiB  
Article
Histological and Histopathological Features of the Third Metacarpal/Tarsal Parasagittal Groove and Proximal Phalanx Sagittal Groove in Thoroughbred Horses with Racing History
by Szu-Ting Lin, Alastair K. Foote, Nicholas M. Bolas, David R. Sargan and Rachel C. Murray
Animals 2024, 14(13), 1942; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14131942 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 863
Abstract
Information regarding the histopathology of the proximal phalanx (P1) sagittal groove in racehorses is limited. Twenty-nine cadaver limbs from nine Thoroughbred racehorses in racing/race-training underwent histological examination. Histological specimens of the third metacarpal/metatarsal (MC3/MT3) parasagittal grooves and P1 sagittal grooves were graded for [...] Read more.
Information regarding the histopathology of the proximal phalanx (P1) sagittal groove in racehorses is limited. Twenty-nine cadaver limbs from nine Thoroughbred racehorses in racing/race-training underwent histological examination. Histological specimens of the third metacarpal/metatarsal (MC3/MT3) parasagittal grooves and P1 sagittal grooves were graded for histopathological findings in hyaline cartilage (HC), calcified cartilage (CC), and subchondral plate and trabecular bone (SCB/TB) regions. Histopathological grades were compared between (1) fissure and non-fissure locations observed in a previous study and (2) dorsal, middle, and palmar/plantar aspects. (1) HC, CC, and SCB/TB grades were more severe in fissure than non-fissure locations in the MC3/MT3 parasagittal groove (p < 0.001). SCB/TB grades were more severe in fissure than non-fissure locations in the P1 sagittal groove (p < 0.001). (2) HC, CC, and SCB/TB grades including SCB collapse were more severe in the palmar/plantar than the middle aspect of the MC3/MT3 parasagittal groove (p < 0.001). SCB/TB grades including SCB collapse were more severe in the dorsal and middle than the palmar/plantar aspect of the P1 sagittal groove (p < 0.001). Histopathology in the SCB/TB region including bone fatigue injury was related to fissure locations, the palmar/plantar MC3/MT3 parasagittal groove, and the dorsal P1 sagittal groove. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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11 pages, 977 KiB  
Article
Infrared Spectroscopy of Synovial Fluid Shows Accuracy as an Early Biomarker in an Equine Model of Traumatic Osteoarthritis
by Luca Panizzi, Matthieu Vignes, Keren E. Dittmer, Mark R. Waterland, Chris W. Rogers, Hiroki Sano, C. Wayne McIlwraith and Christopher B. Riley
Animals 2024, 14(7), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14070986 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1523
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of lameness and joint disease in horses. A simple, economical, and accurate diagnostic test is required for routine screening for OA. This study aimed to evaluate infrared (IR)-based synovial fluid biomarker profiling to detect early changes associated with [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of lameness and joint disease in horses. A simple, economical, and accurate diagnostic test is required for routine screening for OA. This study aimed to evaluate infrared (IR)-based synovial fluid biomarker profiling to detect early changes associated with a traumatically induced model of equine carpal osteoarthritis (OA). Unilateral carpal OA was induced arthroscopically in 9 of 17 healthy thoroughbred fillies; the remainder served as Sham-operated controls. The median age of both groups was 2 years. Synovial fluid (SF) was obtained before surgical induction of OA (Day 0) and weekly until Day 63. IR absorbance spectra were acquired from dried SF films. Following spectral pre-processing, predictive models using random forests were used to differentiate OA, Sham, and Control samples. The accuracy for distinguishing between OA and any other joint group was 80%. The classification accuracy by sampling day was 87%. For paired classification tasks, the accuracies by joint were 75% for OA vs. OA Control and 70% for OA vs. Sham. The accuracy for separating horses by group (OA vs. Sham) was 68%. In conclusion, SF IR spectroscopy accurately discriminates traumatically induced OA joints from controls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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11 pages, 238 KiB  
Article
Comparison of In Vitro Bacterial Susceptibility to Common and Novel Equine Wound Care Dressings
by Merrill Simpson, Dean A. Hendrickson, Doreene R. Hyatt and Sangeeta Rao
Animals 2024, 14(5), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050776 - 1 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2176
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a problem of concern in the veterinary field, necessitating the use of effective topical treatments to aid the healing of wounds. Honey has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties, but in recent years medical-grade Manuka [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a problem of concern in the veterinary field, necessitating the use of effective topical treatments to aid the healing of wounds. Honey has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties, but in recent years medical-grade Manuka honey has been used to treat infected wounds. The goal of this study was to determine the relative susceptibility of four common equine wound pathogens to ten different types of antimicrobial agents based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The pathogens studied include ATCC lab-acclimated Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and one from an equine sample submitted to the Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (Streptococcus zooepidemicus)). An additional goal of the study was to describe the comparison of bactericidal activity of medical-grade Manuka honey, local honey, and commercial, food-grade honey to other commonly used wound dressings (20% hypertonic saline, silver sulfadiazine cream, PHMB gauze, and PHMB foam). The objective is to provide veterinary practitioners with comparative data on the use of a variety of antimicrobial dressings for inhibiting the growth of common wound bacteria. MIC and MBC for Manuka, store, and local honeys were comparable to those of sterile gauze, sugar, and hypertonic saline. Across bacterial species, local honey proved to have more bactericidal activity when compared to Manuka honey and commercial, food-grade honey. The MIC and MBC for PHMB gauze and foam was consistently at a higher dilution compared to the other antimicrobials. The majority of antimicrobials exhibited stronger inhibitory and bactericidal activity against a Streptococcus zooepidemicus isolate obtained from a wound compared to other bacteria that were ATCC lab-acclimated. Additional research for in vivo applications needs to be done to see whether differences exist in effective wound management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
13 pages, 954 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Antimicrobial Protocols and Other Perioperative Factors on Postoperative Complications in Horses Undergoing Celiotomy: A Retrospective Analysis, 2008–2021
by Meagan Rockow, Gregg Griffenhagen, Gabriele Landolt, Dean Hendrickson and Lynn Pezzanite
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3573; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223573 - 19 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1641
Abstract
Recognition of antimicrobial resistance in equine practice has increased over the past decade. The objective of this study was to provide an updated retrospective review of antimicrobial regimens in one tertiary referral hospital and to evaluate the association with postoperative complications. A secondary [...] Read more.
Recognition of antimicrobial resistance in equine practice has increased over the past decade. The objective of this study was to provide an updated retrospective review of antimicrobial regimens in one tertiary referral hospital and to evaluate the association with postoperative complications. A secondary objective was to evaluate other perioperative factors including surgical procedure, anesthetic and recovery parameters, and the effect of perioperative medications on complications and outcomes. A computerized search of medical records was performed to identify horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2021. A total of 742 celiotomies were performed (608 completed, 134 terminated intraoperatively). Factors recorded were evaluated using logistic regression for the presence of either incisional infection, postoperative ileus, or other complications postoperatively. Antimicrobial type or timing (pre-, intra-, or postoperative) were not associated with decreased risk of incisional infection or postoperative ileus; however, the duration of NSAID use was positively associated with incisional infection (OR 1.14 per day). Lidocaine and alpha-2-agonist administration postoperatively were also associated with increased incidence of postoperative ileus (OR 21.5 and 1.56, respectively). Poor recovery quality (OR 4.69), the addition of other antimicrobials besides penicillin/gentamicin postoperatively (OR 3.63), and an increased number of different NSAID classes used (OR 1.46 per additional) were associated with other complications. Implementation of enterotomy was associated with decreased risk of other complications (OR 0.64). These findings provide an updated summary of factors associated with postoperative complications in horses undergoing celiotomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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11 pages, 2316 KiB  
Case Report
Return to Athletic Activity of a Shetland Pony Mare with Coxofemoral Luxation Treated by Femoral Head Ostectomy
by Liliana Carnevale, Tania Tagliabue, Vanessa Rabbogliatti, Roberto Bona and Francesca Cavallier
Animals 2025, 15(4), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15040497 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 423
Abstract
Background: Femoral head ostectomy is considered a salvage procedure in the treatment of chronic coxofemoral joint luxation in small equids. Permanent lameness of varying degrees, largely depending on the animal’s weight, and potential contralateral limb deformity may occur. The purpose of this study [...] Read more.
Background: Femoral head ostectomy is considered a salvage procedure in the treatment of chronic coxofemoral joint luxation in small equids. Permanent lameness of varying degrees, largely depending on the animal’s weight, and potential contralateral limb deformity may occur. The purpose of this study was to report the outcome of a small equid that, despite undergoing a femoral head ostectomy for a chronic coxofemoral joint luxation, was able to return to being ridden by children and to athletic activities. Methods: An 8-year-old Shetland pony mare (180 kg) was presented for a chronic right hind limb lameness (5/5 AAEP grading score) of 12-days duration caused by a craniodorsal coxofemoral joint luxation and permanent upward fixation of the right patella. A femoral head and neck ostectomy was performed concomitant with desmotomy of the medial patellar ligament. Results: Eighteen months after surgery, the mare began being ridden by children and was used for schooling purposes. Five years post-surgery, she continued her work activities with no apparent signs of lameness or discomfort. Conclusions: Femoral head ostectomy following chronic coxofemoral joint luxation can result in a favorable outcome, with equids weighing up to 180 kg potentially regaining soundness and resuming athletic activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine)
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