Topic:Degenerative Joint Disease
Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) in horses, also known as osteoarthritis, is a progressive condition characterized by the deterioration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. This condition leads to pain, reduced mobility, and lameness in affected horses. DJD is typically caused by wear and tear on the joints, but it can also result from injury, infection, or developmental disorders. The disease primarily affects older horses, but younger horses can also be susceptible, especially if they have experienced joint trauma or abnormal joint stress. The diagnosis of DJD involves clinical evaluation, imaging techniques such as radiography or ultrasonography, and sometimes joint fluid analysis. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and treatment options for degenerative joint disease in equine patients.
Histopathological findings in the medial palmar and dorsomedial intercarpal ligaments of the equine midcarpal joint. Medial palmar intercarpal ligaments (MPICL) and dorsomedial intercarpal ligaments (DMICL) from the midcarpal joints of 11 adult horses in training were examined histopathologically. These were compared with ligaments from seven horses less than 12 months of age, and 10 grossly enlarged DMICLs of adult horses. Tearing of the MPICL was observed in 15 of 22 joints from adult horses. Collagen fibre bundles of the MPICLs generally were disorganized and poorly aligned, and there were large areas of loose connective tissue. In young horses there was more parallel alignment of collagen bundles and les...
Interaction of transforming growth factor-beta-1 with alpha-2-macroglobulin from normal and inflamed equine joints. Binding between equine plasma alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) and several cytokines known to participate in inflammatory reactions in other species was initially examined. Plasma was obtained from 5 horses with various abnormalities. Samples, both untreated and after reaction with methylamine, were incubated with exogenous, radiolabeled, porcine-derived transforming growth factor-beta-1 (125I-TGF-beta 1), recombinant human interleukin-1-beta (125I-IL-1 beta), and recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (125I-rhTNF-alpha). They were then subjected to nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel elec...
Cutaneous lymphoma with extensive periarticular involvement in a horse. Two months after colic surgery, subcutaneous masses were found on the ventral and lateral portions of the thorax of a 3-year-old Hanoverian-cross filly. Six months later, the filly was admitted for evaluation of severe lameness. Arthrocentesis of the tarsocrural joint yielded clotted sanguineous material; however, unusual multinucleated giant cells were seen. Radiography of the right tarsus revealed soft tissue opacity and degenerative joint disease. The filly was euthanatized to prevent further suffering. At necropsy, multiple soft-tissue masses were located throughout the fascial planes of t...
Lateral collateral ligament avulsion of the humeroradial joint in a horse. This report describes traumatic avulsion of the lateral collateral ligament of the humeroradial joint in a horse. The history and diagnostic procedures are included with relevant radiographs and ultrasonographs. The poor prognosis associated with this injury is due to degenerative joint disease.
Effect of activated equine neutrophils on sulfated proteoglycan metabolism in equine cartilage explant cultures. To determine the influence of activated equine neutrophils on sulfated glycosaminoglycan metabolism of equine articular cartilage in vitro. Methods: Articular cartilage explants harvested from the metacarpophalangeal joints of 7 horses. Methods: Proteoglycan degradation and synthesis were measured by release of glycosaminoglycan from the explants, and incorporation of [35S]sulfate into newly synthesized glycosaminoglycan. Results: Activated equine neutrophils significantly increased the release of glycosaminoglycan from explant matrix and the magnitude of that response was influenced by durati...
Results of a survey of equine practitioners on the use and perceived efficacy of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan. To determine the patterns of use and perceived efficacy of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) for the treatment of degenerative joint disease in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional mail survey. Methods: 1,522 equine practitioners. Methods: Information was obtained on frequency and route of administration of PSGAG for the treatment of each of 4 forms of degenerative joint disease, the efficacy of PSGAG, and its efficacy compared with that of sodium hyaluronate. Data were analyzed by nonparametric and multivariate regression methods. Results: Response rate was 40.5%. Of practitioners responding...
A retrospective evaluation of the surgical management of equine carpal injury. Records of 220 thoroughbred horses presented to the Randwick Equine Centre or the University of Queensland Veterinary Teaching Hospital for surgical management of carpal injury were reviewed. Details of racing performance were obtained, enabling evaluation of racing success following surgery. Age and sex matched control horses not known to have suffered carpal injury were selected from the Australian Stud Book and the Australian Racehorse Register. Control and treated populations were compared in terms of overall career racing success. Radiographs or xeroradiographs from 198 horses were availa...
Hyaluronate and large molecular weight proteoglycans in synovial fluid from horses with various arthritides. To investigate the presence of large molecular weight (MW) proteoglycans (PG) and hyaluronate (HA) in synovial fluid (SF) from horses with various arthritides and from control joints. Methods: Horses with acute (< 2 weeks) or chronic (> 4 weeks) lameness were examined by clinical examination, intrasynovial anesthesia, radiography, arthroscopy, and SF analysis. Joints were grouped on the basis of diagnosis: acute traumatic arthritis, chronic traumatic arthritis (with a subgroup of degenerative joint disease), intra-articular fracture, and infectious arthritis. Methods: 31 horses with arthritis ...
Inflammatory mediators in equine synovial fluid. Enzyme immunoassay for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and radioimmunoassays for prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) were performed on synovial fluid from normal middle carpal joints of 10 horses, and from 30 middle carpal or antebrachiocarpal joints of horses affected by degenerative joint disease and chip fractures to compare the concentrations of inflammatory mediators. Significantly greater concentrations of PGE2 were detected in fluid from affected than from control joints, but there were no significant differences in the mean concentrations of PGF2 ...
Induction of intra-articular tumour necrosis factor during acute inflammatory responses in equine arthritis. Synovial fluid (SF) was collected at 2, 12 and 26 h post racing from 5 Thoroughbred horses (6 joints) with degenerative joint disease. The effects of serial arthrocentesis on SF TNF alpha levels were controlled for by testing, in parallel, site- and time-matched samples from clinically normal horses (i.e. without arthritis). A significant induction in TNF alpha bioactivity was detected in SF from arthritic joints (compared to the control joints) over the 26 h following racing. After subtraction of values for the arthrocentesis control SF, TNF alpha and protein levels and WBC and mononuclear ce...
Endothelial lipopigment as an indicator of alpha-tocopherol deficiency in two equine neurodegenerative diseases. Two spontaneous neurodegenerative diseases of the horse, equine motor neuron disease (EMND) and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM), have been associated with alpha-tocopherol deficiency, and both were characterized by prominent accumulations of endothelial lipopigment in the small vessels of the spinal cord. These endothelial pigment deposits appear to be reversible. In EMND horses pasture-supplemented for 9 months or more after the progression of weakness and wasting had arrested, there was very little endothelial lipopigment. The origin and the potential effects of these endotheli...
Morphological analysis of cervical vertebrae in ataxic foals. Morphological differences between cervical vertebrae were statistically analyzed in ataxic foals to clarify abnormal structural factors in the pathogenesis of this problem. At first, multiple regression analysis and cluster analysis were performed with 28 variables in C3-C7 of 39 control foals without lameness. As a result, there were no sex differences in the growth of all cervical vertebral sites, and the most suitable categorization of the age of the foals was 3 clusters of 8 months old or younger, 9-12 months old and 13 months old or older in any sites in the cervical vertebrae. Twenty-eig...
Lead foreign body arthropathy in a horse. A diagnosis of degenerative joint disease secondary to an intra-articular metallic foreign body in the right metacarpophalangeal joint was made in a Quarter Horse gelding. Arthroscopy, performed to evaluate the joint and remove the foreign body, revealed yellow discoloration of the articular cartilage and synovium, and blunting and proliferation of the synovium. The foreign body was identified as a lead sphere. Microscopic examination of synovium revealed chronic synovitis, with accumulation of hemosiderin and multifocal, mild mineralization. Another pigment was evident extracellularly in the ...
Diagnostic and operative arthroscopy of the coxofemoral joint in horses. Arthroscopic examination of the hip joint was performed in mature and juvenile horses, using a lateral approach and standard or long instruments depending on body weight. Nine hip joints were examined in three cadavers and four anesthetized horses. The lateral, cranial, and caudal regions of the femoral head and acetabulum were accessible, and, after distraction of the limb, the ligament of the head of the femur and the acetabular notch were also visible. In small horses, the medial regions of the hip joint were visible but were inaccessible in larger horses. Iatrogenic injury to the sciatic n...
Differential scanning calorimetric studies of superficial digital flexor tendon degeneration in the horse. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of equine superficial digital flexor tendons revealed the presence of a small exothermic peak at 23 degrees C of unknown origin, and a large endothermic peak at 70 degrees C due to denaturation of cross-linked collagen fibres. In the central degenerated core of damaged tendons the denaturation temperature remained at 70 degrees C but the enthalpy decreased in relation to the extent of degeneration of the tendon. We suggest that this reduction in enthalpy is due to depolymerisation and denaturation of the collagen fibres. This contention is supported by t...
Exercise-induced hyperthermia as a possible mechanism for tendon degeneration. Mathematical modelling of tendon thermodynamics predicted that the temperature of the central core of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon would plateau at 11 degrees C above the tendon surface temperature during a sustained gallop. A mean temperature differential (between tendon core and surface) of 5.4 (S.E. +/- 1.0) degrees C was demonstrated in vivo in four horses. Peak intra-tendinous temperatures in the range 43-45 degrees C were recorded. Temperatures above 42.5 degrees C are known to result in fibroblast death in vitro [Hall (1988) Radiobiology for the Radiologist, 3rd Edn., pp...
Morphological effects of arthroscopic partial synovectomy in horses. Gross and microscopic effects of arthroscopic partial synovectomy on synovium and articular cartilage of middle carpal joints were studied in 15 horses. A 7-mm diameter motorized synovial resector was inserted into each middle carpal joint and arthroscopic partial synovectomy and lavage or arthroscopic lavage alone was performed. Study periods were 0 (three horses), 16 (three horses), and 30 days (six horses). No gross evidence of degenerative joint disease was observed at day 16 or 30. At 30 days, resected areas lacked villi and there was deposition of fibrin on the synovial surface with vary...
Torsion in quadrupeds and its impact on mammalian joints. Congenital and acquired torsion occur in the limbs of domestic animals. Congenital abnormalities are of clinical significance in foals; they are also seen in calves whose dams have ingested certain toxic plants that contain teratogenic agents. Acquired torsional deformities are most common in foals, but are also observed in adult horses, dogs, and llamas. Acquired rotational deformities are almost always associated with angular limb deformities. The clinical consequence of torsional deformities is the early development of degenerative joint disease.
Concentration and molecular weight distribution of hyaluronate in synovial fluid from clinically normal horses and horses with diseased joints. High molecular weight (MW) hyaluronate (HA) is an integral part of synovial fluid (SF), regulating many important physiologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Many of its effects depend on, or are reflected in, the concentration and MW of HA. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to assess simultaneously the concentration and MW of HA in SF obtained from horses with various arthritides: acute traumatic arthritis; chronic traumatic arthritis, including degenerative joint disease (DJD); and infectious arthritis. The size-exclusion column was calibrated, using appropriate HA concentrati...
Assessment of vertebral canal diameter and bony malformations of the cervical part of the spine in horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy. Magnification of cervical radiographs prevents accurate interpretation of vertebral canal absolute minimum sagittal diameter (MSD) values and application of the established MSD values for diagnosis of cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM). Variability in MSD determination in human beings, owing to radiographic magnification, is minimized by assessing a ratio of the vertebral canal diameter to the sagittal width of the vertebral body. This relative measurement technique improves the accuracy of diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis in human beings. The MSD of the vertebral canal was determined in ...
Clinical use and characteristics of the corticosteroids. Corticosteroids possess potent anti-inflammatory activity and are commonly injected intra-articularly for local relief of inflammatory lesions in performance horses. However, the suppression of anabolic activity in the joint may lead to an increased rate of joint breakdown. Complications associated with intra-articular corticosteroid therapy include septic arthritis, which is usually due to inadvertent joint contamination at the time of corticosteroid injection, and steroid arthropathy, which is characterized by an accelerated rate of joint destruction and radiographic evidence of severe degen...
Diagnosis and prediction of cervical vertebral malformation in thoroughbred foals based on semi-quantitative radiographic indicators. Over a period of 5 years on a central Kentucky Thoroughbred stud farm 132 foals were evaluated for the presence of cervical vertebral malformation (CVM). Lateral cervical vertebral radiographs were obtained on 70 standing foals. These radiographs were evaluated semi-quantitatively and scored numerically for the presence of stenosis of the vertebral canal, enlarged physeal growth plates, caudal extension of the dorsal border of the orifice of the vertebral canal, angular fixation, delayed ossification of bone and degenerative joint disease. From these scores a total CVM score was given for each...
Effects of intraarticular corticosteroid and sodium hyaluronate injections on synovial fluid production and synovial fluid content of sodium hyaluronate and proteoglycans in normal equine joints. Hyaluronate and cartilage proteoglycan fragments in synovial fluid from normal equine joints were determined after repeated intraarticular injections of beta-methasone, methylprednisolone, hyaluronate, saline and a combination of beta-methasone + hyaluronate and methylprednisolone + hyaluronate. The experimental intraarticular treatments were given at the beginning of the study and after one and two weeks. Synovial samples were obtained at the onset of the study and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. The synovial volume was determined and showed no significant changes after the repeated arthroc...
Fate and effect of autogenous osteochondral fragments implanted in the middle carpal joint of horses. Four autogenous osteochondral fragments removed from the lateral trochlear ridge of the talus were arthroscopically placed as loose bodies in a randomly selected middle carpal joint in each of 10 horses. The contralateral middle carpal joint, subjected to a sham procedure, served as control. Postoperative treatment was consistent with that for clinical arthroscopic patients. Lameness evaluation, radiographic examination, carpal circumference measurement, and synovial fluid analysis were performed before and at scheduled intervals after surgery. After a 2-month confinement, horses were subjecte...