Osteoarthritis (OA) in horses is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the progressive deterioration of articular cartilage, subchondral bone changes, and synovial inflammation. This condition can result in pain, reduced mobility, and impaired performance in affected animals. Osteoarthritis is commonly observed in athletic horses due to repetitive joint stress, but it can also occur in older horses as part of the natural aging process. Diagnosis typically involves clinical examination, imaging techniques such as radiography or MRI, and sometimes synovial fluid analysis. Management strategies focus on alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, and slowing disease progression through pharmacological treatments, physical therapy, and sometimes surgical interventions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of osteoarthritis in equine patients.
May SA, Hooke RE, Lees P.There is increasing evidence that the proteoglycan-degrading neutral metalloproteinase, stromelysin, is a key enzyme in the pathogenesis of osteoarthrosis. Equine synovial lining cells were stimulated in vitro to produce stromelysin, and phenylbutazone, flunixin, betamethasone, sodium hyaluronate and polysulphated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) were tested for their ability to inhibit the action of this enzyme on 14C-labelled casein substrate. Only PSGAG possessed inhibitory activity at concentrations likely to be achieved therapeutically in the equine fetlock joint.
Niebauer GW, Wolf B, Yarmush M, Richardson DW.Thirty-one horses with secondary osteoarthritis as a sequel of trauma (chip fractures) or osteochondritis dissecans were screened for immune complexes (IC) and anticollagen antibodies. Eighty-two percent of horses with joint disease had circulating C1q-binding IC; 77% of those horses had IC in synovial fluids of affected joints. Although only a few horses had anticollagen type-II antibodies, anticollagen type-I antibodies were found in sera of 25% of the horses and in 41% of their synovial fluids. This correlated well with the clinical data and suggested that antibodies might have been elicite...
Clyne MJ.Proteoglycan degradation is central to the development of degenerative joint disease. Proteoglycans may be degraded by lysosomal enzymes from chondrocytes, synoviocytes or leucocytes. Collagen and matrix degradation occurs either by direct damage or due to degrading enzymes released into synovial fluid. Once the pathological sequence has begun it continues in a cyclic manner unless arrested by the ability of chondrocytes to synthesise sufficient matrix components. Treatment should ideally be directed to this end.
Kold SE, Hickman J, Melsen F.Four full thickness cartilage defects, two linear and two elliptical, and four subchondral cavity defects were created at the point of weightbearing of the medial femoral condyle in four experimental ponies. This study showed that subchondral bone cysts can develop following full thickness (cartilage only) linear cartilage defects at a weightbearing location. Subchondral bone cysts did not develop following the removal of an elliptical piece of cartilage, exposing the subchondral bone. Primary subchondral defects created in communication with the joint cavity did not heal by replacement with b...
Wyn-Jones G, May SA.Over a period of seven years, 30 horses were treated by surgical arthrodesis for lameness resulting from osteoarthrosis of the proximal intertarsal, distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints (bone and occult spavin). Twenty-five horses were affected in one hock only and five were affected bilaterally. Four different techniques for achieving arthrodesis were used. Fourteen out of 18 horses (78 per cent) with involvement of the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints only and six out of 11 horses (55 per cent) in which the proximal intertarsal joint was also involved became sound follo...
Jeffcott LB, Dalin G, Ekman S, Olsson SE.The histories and clinical signs in 11 horses with longstanding poor performance attributed to chronic sacroiliac damage are described. The main clinical feature was a lack of impulsion from one or both hindlimbs causing a restriction in the hind gait or lowgrade lameness. A temporary improvement was often achieved using anti-inflammatory medication, but eventually all the horses were killed because of unsatisfactory progress at exercise. Post mortem examination revealed that changes were confined to the sacroiliac joints. The macroscopic and histological findings varied considerably and in on...
Svalastoga E, Reimann I, Nielsen K.Histological and histochemical investigations of the fibrocartilage of facies flexoria from navicular bones of horses with navicular disease have shown alterations similar to those described in the hyaline articular cartilage in osteoarthritic joints.
Edwards GB.During a 3 year period 20 horses with bone spavin were treated by surgical arthrodesis of the affected joints. The horses chosen for surgery were those with osteoarthritis, but with little or no evidence of periostitis. Whenever possible they were examined periodically during the postoperative period to evaluate the lameness and to assess the progress of ankylosis by radiography. Three of the horses were still lame 12 months later. The remainder returned to normal work, although one subsequently developed spavin in the other hock and was destroyed. The earliest return to soundness was 3 1/2 mo...
Jeffcott LB, Kold SE.The clinical and radiological characteristics of stifle lameness in 86 horses are described. The majority of these cases had been lame for some weeks before referral. The most frequent diagnoses made were osteochondrosis dissecans (13 per cent) and subchondral bone cyst (38 per cent). Both of these conditions were seen principally in Thoroughbreds at or before the onset of training. The other bone lesions encountered were osteoarthritis (3 per cent), fractures (4 per cent) and "epiphysitis" (1 per cent). The commonest soft tissue condition was an atypical or partial upward fixation of the pate...
Genetzky RM, Schneider EJ, Butler HC, Guffy MM.Arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint in horses, with 2 screws crisscrossing the joint, was compared with arthrodesis achieved by placement of 3 screws crossing the joint parallel to the long axis of the bone. The comparison was made by means of radiography, gross and histologic examinations, and motion evaluation. Additionally, the fused 1st and 2nd phalanges resulting from each method were subjected to breaking forces. Motion evaluation and direct examination of the fused area demonstrated that either procedure can be used to achieve arthrodesis consistently, and the breaking pro...
Gingerich DA, Auer JA, Fackelman GE.A single intra-articular injection of 20 or 40 mg of purified hyaluronic acid of rooster comb origin resulted in restoration of normal joint function in horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis. The functional improvement, measured by pressure sensitive force plate techniques, was detectable within one week after treatment and persisted throughout a four week experimental period despite continued use of the joints. The response was dose dependent in that injection of 0 (saline), 5 or 10 mg hyaluronic acid per joint space resulted in no significant change in joint function while dosage...
Irwin DH.Thirty seven intra-articular injections, each 2 ml sodium hyaluronate were made into 21 arthritic joints in 15 racing Thoroughbreds and one part-bred polo pony. One joint failed to improve at all, 16 became sound with one injection, 4 became sound with 2 injections, and 11 joints showed various degrees of response. Eleven of 14 horses became sound for flat racing. Discussion relates to the technique of using sodium hyaluronate, some clinical and pathological aspects of traumatic arthritis, joint lubrication and a brief review of some properties of sodium hyaluronate which have a bearing on art...
Vaden MF, Purohit RC, McCoy MD, Vaughan JT.Thermographic and radiographic evaluations of the tarsus (hock) were done on 20 Standardbred racehorses before and after exercise at three consecutive 6-week intervals. All horses were from the same stable and given the same care and training under identical schedules and conditions. Normal thermographic patterns were established before and after exercise. These patterns corresponded to the underlying tarsal vasculature. Postexercise thermal patterns indicated a warming trend, and the increases were uniform. Abnormal thermal patterns were more localized and did not conform to the normal underl...
Auer JA, Fackelman GE, Gingerich DA, Fetter AW.Effect of intraarticular injections of hyaluronic acid was evaluated in two groups of horses, using force plates to assess quantitatively the degree of lameness observed. In six horses, chip fractures were created surgically on the dorsomedial aspects of both radial carpal bones. After the horses were trained for 30 days, 40 mg of hyaluronic acid was injected intraarticularly into the limb showing the greater degree of lameness. Horses were worked for 2 more weeks and then were evaluated. A highly significant (P less than 0.01) increase in weight bearing on the treated limb was observed. Ten h...
Rejnö S.LDH is an intracellular enzyme, which when cells degenerate is released to the extracellular spaces and body fluids. Cells and organs in the mammalian body differ from each other with respect to their LDH isoenzyme patterns. These circumstances have led to the use of LDH isoenzyme determinations in laboratory diagnostic work. In the present investigation total LDH activity and LDH isoenzyme distribution in equine synovial fluid from healthy joints, joints with serous arthritis, osteochondrosis dissecans and arthrosis, were determined. The fluids from the diseased joints differed from normal sy...
Johansson HE, Rejnö S.Light and electron microscopic examination was made on equine synovial membrane from 23 healthy joints, nine joints with synovitis caused by intraarticular fracture and 10 joints with synovitis caused by osteochondrosis dissecans. Histologically as well as ultrastructurally the equine synovial membrane from healthy joints was of principally the same character as described in other species. Three types of synovial membrane — areolar, fibrous and adipose — and two types of lining cell were distinguished histologically. Ultrastructurally three types of lining cells were distinguished: A and Î...
Petterson H, Reiland S.The research investigates a specific bone lesion called “periarticular subchondral bone cyst” in horses, based on 14 case studies conducted between 1949 and 1967. Participants and Methodology The study involved […]
Hosek L, James RJ, Taylor WTT.Among the most widely used methods for understanding human-horse relationships in the archaeological record is the identification of human skeletal pathologies associated with mounted horseback riding. In particular, archaeologists encountering specific bony changes to the hip, femur, and lower back often assert a causal link between these features and prolonged periods of mounted horseback riding. The identification of these features have recently been used to assert the early practice of mounted horseback riding among the Yamnaya culture of western Eurasia during the third and fourth millenn...
Gagliardi R, Koch DW, Loeser R, Schnabel LV.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease that impacts millions of individuals and has limited therapeutic options. A significant hindrance to therapeutic discovery is the lack of in vitro OA models that translate reliably to in vivo preclinical animal models. An alternative to traditional inflammatory cytokine models is the matrikine stimulation model, in which fragments of matrix proteins naturally found in OA tissues and synovial fluid, are used to stimulate cells of the joint. The objective of this study was to determine if matrikine stimulation of equine synovial fibroblasts and chond...
Chow L, Kawahisa-Piquini G, Bass L, Hendrickson D, Patel A, Rockow M, Dow S, Pezzanite LM.Osteoarthritis (OA) is increasingly thought to be a multifactorial disease in which sustained gut inflammation serves as a continued source of inflammatory mediators driving degenerative processes at distant sites such as joints. The objective of this study was to use the equine model of naturally occurring obesity associated OA to compare the fecal microbiome in OA and health and correlate those findings to differential gene expression synovial fluid (SF) cells, circulating leukocytes and cytokine levels (plasma, SF) towards improved understanding of the interplay between microbiome and immun...
Luedke LK, Seabaugh KA, Cooper BG, Snyder BD, Wimmer MA, McIlwraith CW, Barrett MF, Kawcak CE, Grinstaff MW, Goodrich LR.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 j...
Luque RM, Henderson B, McCorkell TC, Alizadeh AH, Russell KA, Koch TG, Koenig J.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are widely used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Optimising dose, timing, and safety while comparing efficacy with standard therapies like hyaluronic acid (HA) is essential for their standardisation. Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of equine umbilical cord-derived (eCB) MSCs in client-owned horses with fetlock or carpus OA. Methods: Prospective single-blinded randomised clinical study. Methods: Horses diagnosed with fetlock or carpus OA via intra-articular (IA) anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive either 10 or 20 million eCB-MSCs in HA or 3â€...
Beck AA, Paz LB, Frank MI, Pereira RCF, De La Côrte FD.To evaluate the effect of IA injections of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in horses with chronic, naturally occurring distal tarsal osteoarthritis. Unassigned: 9 horses were selected after physical and radiographic assessments. Horses also underwent an objective lameness examination and were included if they had a hindlimb impact lameness (Pmin ≥ 3 mm), which positively responded (≥ 50%) to the tarsometatarsal and centrodistal joints' anesthetic block. Horses randomly received an intra-articular injection of BoNT-A or an equivalent volume of saline solution. Horses were reevaluated at pos...
Buzelato Carli I, Fielding L.Many horses receive firocoxib over multiple years, and studies evaluating hematologic and biochemical values in these animals are lacking. Objective: To describe the hematologic and biochemical values of horses receiving long-term firocoxib. Methods: A total of 79 horses receiving long-term firocoxib and 153 horses not receiving long-term firocoxib and not presenting for a specific medical problem. Methods: Retrospective study comparing horses receiving firocoxib (F group) and no firocoxib (NF group). Signalment, hematologic, and biochemical values were compared between the two groups. Simple ...
Rinnovati R, Spadari A, Malpighi A, Meistro F, Ralletti MV, Marcucci E, Tarasconi MA, Chiatto RL, Tommasa SD.Numerous treatment strategies have been proposed to manage osteoarthritis (OA) in sport horses. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), is used in veterinary medicine for various purposes. Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a CMC hydrogel in reducing clinical lameness in horses with OA affecting joint. The hypothesis was that intra-articular CMC would produce a sustained reduction in lameness compared to a control treatment. Methods: Thirty client-owned horses diagnosed with OA-related lameness in the metacarpophalangeal joint were enrolled. Horses were randomly assigned to two groups...
Pluim M, Frippiat T.Polyacrylamide gel is increasingly used in equine veterinary medicine for osteoarthritis and other joint disorders. This study aimed to document the indications, treatment protocols, rehabilitation plans, outcomes, and satisfaction with intra-articular polyacrylamide gel in horses, as reported by equine veterinarians. An online questionnaire was distributed to practitioners through the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation mailing lists, social media, and direct contact. Of 197 respondents, 160 completed the survey, forming the basis for the descriptiv...
Euppayo T, Siengdee P, Limlenglert P, Nganvongpanit K, Watanabe G, Kasashima Y, Arai K.The self-renewal capacity of chondrocytes in osteoarthritis (OA) joints is limited, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are crucial in disease treatment. This study established an OA model from equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eBMSCs). The eBMSCs were cultured and differentiated into chondrocytes to generate cartilage pellets, which were induced for 7 d with inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) to mimic OA conditions. Treated culture medium was collected to estimate enzyme activity (MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9) using zymograph...
Hellige M, Geburek F.Diagnostic imaging is an important part of the diagnostic approach in equine spinal ataxia especially with the cervical spine being commonly involved. The spinal cord may be affected by a variety of conditions including cervical vertebral malformations, osteoarthritis of the articular process joints or less commonly neoplasia. Advanced imaging techniques such as myelography are more accurate in diagnosing spinal cord compression and may be performed under general anesthesia in neutral, flexed and extended positions of the cervical spine. The use of ultrasound is non-invasive and allows ultraso...
Mathys RA, Schmitz TR, Geyer H, Borel N, Hilbe M, Ohlerth S, Bischofberger AS.This study described, assessed and correlated ultrasonographic, computed tomographic, and histological findings in the sacroiliac joints of adult Warmblood horse cadavers. In total, 25 joints from 15 horses were examined post-mortem using transrectal ultrasonography and helical computed tomography. Findings on computed tomography were graded in the caudal joint third (caudally) and for the entire joint as mild, moderate, or severe. In total, 11 joints from nine horses were evaluated histologically. All joints (100%) showed abnormalities on computed tomography, and 92% (23/25) displayed abnorma...
Bertone AL, Reinemeyer C, Tsaprailis G, Ragland D, Leise B.The use of micro-particulate allografts is rising, but knowledge about the protein characterization and biocompatibility of umbilical cord-derived allografts (UC) in vivo is limited. Methods: Proteomic analyses using mass spectrometry (MS) determined equine UC protein relative quantification and functions using total spectral counts (TSC). UC cytokines were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Three in vivo studies assessed recipient clinical and tissue biocompatibility in joints and ligaments. Results: Proteomics revealed 2645 annotated TSCs. Proteins of > 89 TSC we...
Sanchez-Arjona R, Lopez Cruz C, Hague BA, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To evaluate the outcomes of diode laser-facilitated (DLF) ankylosis using different surgical techniques to treat distal tarsal osteoarthritis (OA) in horses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: A total of 64 client-owned horses with distal tarsal OA treated with DLF ankylosis between 2011 and 2021 in a referral hospital were included. Methods: DLF ankylosis techniques included: intra-articular diode laser (L), diode laser with periarticular drilling (L + D) and diode laser with cuboidal bone fenestration (L + F). Horses requiring a second surgery formed a fourth group (T). Ou...
Palomino Lago E, Roberts SJ, Orriss IR, Lumsden ES, Guest DJ.Bone is a dynamic tissue that is maintained through the co-ordination of bone resorption and bone formation. An imbalance of these processes can lead to bone disease. In vitro studies of osteoblasts can help to understand bone formation, but primary cells have a limited lifespan in culture. Herein, we report the successful generation of equine immortalized osteoblasts through the stable overexpression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and Simian virus 40 (SV40) large T-antigen in osteoblasts isolated from trabecular bone taken from the third metacarpal of a two-year-old Thoroug...
Bosman LM, Logan MG, Miszewski A, Pepper MS.Translational regenerative medicine, integrating human and veterinary approaches within the "One Health" framework, increasingly uses horses as models for human musculoskeletal conditions due to shared anatomical and functional features. Osteoarthritis and tendon disorders affect both species, often resulting from high-impact or repetitive strain activities. Regenerative medicine offers therapeutic opportunities by promoting tissue repair and modulating inflammation. Cellular orthobiologics such as mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) show promise for treating osteoarthritis and tendon injuri...
Schmidt S, Swagemakers JH, le Jeune SS.The cervical vertebral column in horses plays a crucial role in movement, posture, and performance and disorders affecting it can cause pain, ataxia, or lameness. This review discusses major acquired (traumatic, infectious, neoplastic) and degenerative (osteoarthritis, foraminal stenosis, intervertebral disc disease) conditions. Acquired lesions often arise from trauma, bacterial infection, or neoplasia, with clinical signs ranging from neck pain to neurologic deficits. Degenerative disorders, particularly osteoarthritis of articular process joints, are common in the caudal cervical spine and ...
Skierbiszewska K, Turek B, Jasiński T, Kaczorowski M, Kozłowska N, Higuchi J, Domino M.Bone grafting in equine medicine offers a promising contribution to treating orthopaedic developmental diseases and chondral, osteochondral and segmental bone defects. Among grafts, synthetic bone substitutes-alloplastics-show favourable biological properties addressing numerous limitations presented by autografts, xenografts and allografts. Objective: To compile and disseminate clinical data and research findings from existing publications on the use of alloplastics in horses. Methods: Systematic review. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis 202...
Barreira AP, Moreira T, Silva R, Nunes L, Lioi A, Kraus E, Altheman V, Ribeiro M, Leite C, Silva A, Almeida F, Santos Junior G, Lessa D, Alves AL.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that affects humans and animals worldwide. Its early diagnosis remains challenging due to subtle clinical signs and late radiographic changes. This study aimed to explore candidate biomarkers associated with spontaneous OA and to investigate their correlation with ultrasonographic scores to support early diagnosis. Clinical, radiographic, and ultrasonographic evaluations were performed on 52 equine metacarpophalangeal joints, with and without OA, allowing joint scoring and classification into osteoarthritis (OAG) and control groups. Synovial ...
Kwon YS, Jeong H, Kim J, Kim J, Chun K, Yang SK, Kim B.Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of equine lameness, yet pragmatic evidence for nutraceuticals in horses remains limited. Unassigned: We prospectively evaluated 12 weeks of daily natural eggshell membrane (NEM; 12 mg/kg, orally) supplementation in Warmblood horses with chronic lameness using a single-arm before-after design. Ten horses were enrolled and prespecified paired contrasts compared visit 3 (V3, week 12) with baseline (V1). Outcomes included rider-reported under-saddle function (walk and trot), examiner-graded lameness (rest and walk-trot composite), simple joint-angle kinematics...
Kushida C, Tamura N, Kasashima Y, Sato K, Arai K.In equine regenerative medicine using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BM-MSC), the importance of the quality management of BM-MSC has been widely recognized. However, there is little information concerning the relationship between cellular senescence and the stemness in equine BM-MSC. In this study, we showed that stemness markers (NANOG, OCT4, SOX2 and telomerase reverse transcriptase) and colony forming unit-fibroblast apparently decreased accompanied with incidence of senescence-associated β-galactosidase-positive cells by repeated passage. Additionally, we suggested th...
Mousquer MA, Paz CFR, Rafael LA, Wendt CG, Curcio BR, Souza RP, Santos IPOD, da Silva RB, Müller V, Nogueira CEW.Obesity is common in some horse breeds, raising concerns about health and performance. Criollo horses in morphological events often undergo intensive management promoting early adiposity. Objective: This study aimed (1) to assess morphometric traits, metabolic profile, hoof morphology, and tarsal joint alterations in Criollo horses participating in morphological trials; (2) to evaluate sex-related differences; and (3) the associations between morphometric measurements, hoof morphology, and tarsal osteoarthritis grades. Methods: Fifty-five horses (30 mares, 25 stallions) were evaluated for body...
Samol MA, Barrett MF, Frisbie DD.Significant distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) pathology, particularly affecting soft tissue and articular cartilage, is often not identifiable on radiographs but can be accompanied by joint capsule enthesopathy on the middle phalanx (P2), which can be readily identified. Objective: To explore frequency and correlations between DIPJ capsule enthesopathy identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiographs and DIPJ articular cartilage abnormalities and other concurrent soft tissue or osseous pathology within the foot found on MRI. Methods: Retrospective descriptive case series. Metho...
Chaimbeul SF, Rodrigues NNP, Thurston DD, Scoggin KE, Janes J, Jacobs CA, MacLeod JN, Stone AV, Menarim BC.Synovitis resolution is critical for joint homeostasis and prevents the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Treatments like NSAIDs and intra-articular corticosteroids relieve symptoms by blocking pro-inflammatory mediators, but also impair the production of pro-resolving mediators, contributing to the likelihood of chronic synovitis. PPARγ signaling is an essential mechanism of synovitis resolution, which is decreased in OA tissues. To evaluate the potential of PPARγ agonists to promote pro-resolving pathways, equine macrophages cultured in autologous, normal, or inflamed synovial fluid ( = ...
Hartl B, Strohmayer C, Vali Y, Lyrakis M, Kneissl SM.Horses with hyoid bone disease may present with clinical symptoms such as exercise intolerance, resistance to ridden work, anorexia, or headshaking. This study aims to describe the computed tomographic (CT) signs and prevalence of hyoid disease and to evaluate their association with other CT changes of the head. Unassigned: In this study, four investigators conducted a retrospective analysis of their findings after reviewing the medical records of 200 horses that had undergone CT scans between 2009 and 2019. A total of 32 parameters were analyzed, and associations were evaluated between those ...
Beck C, Hitchens PL, Muir P, Whitton RC.Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for metacarpo/tarsophalangeal or fetlock joint (MC/TPJ) evaluation in Thoroughbred racehorses. CT features and lesion prevalence in competing Thoroughbreds are unknown. Objective: To identify standing CT features within the MC/TPJ of elite Thoroughbred staying racehorses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Computed tomography scans of the MC/TPJ were performed as part of pre-race screening for fracture risk and graded for CT features. Descriptive statistics and univariable logistic regression models were generated to investigate associat...
Linde P, Kurihara J, Chow L, Williams ZJ, Hendrickson D, Bass L, Dow S, Pezzanite LM.Innate immune responses within the joint are now known to play a key role in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. However, comparatively little is known regarding the role of adaptive immune responses in OA, and whether they may be important for initiating and sustaining progressive low-level joint inflammation. Therefore, we evaluated spontaneous osteoarthritis in horses to investigate whether antibodies recognizing live joint cells (chondrocytes, synoviocytes) were present in blood or synovial fluid, and to identify possible cellular target antigens. We found that horses with advanced OA had an...
van Veggel ECS, Cokelaere SM, Vanderperren K, Selberg KT, Rasmussen J, Bergman HJ, Vernooij JCM, Hoogelander B.To report low-field standing MRI findings and, when available, postmortem findings of 25 thoracic limbs with degenerative joint disease of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) characterized by narrowing of the joint space suggestive of cartilage loss. Unassigned: Medical records from September 2015 to July 2022 were reviewed for clinical history, signalment, MRI, and postmortem findings. The study retrospectively analyzed cases in which lameness was linked to DIPJ joint space narrowing using a partially nested comparative design. Width was measured at 4 DIPJ sites, as well as a ratio to the...
