Alcohol-facilitated ankylosis of the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints in horses with osteoarthritis.

The paper evaluates the safety and effectiveness of using alcohol-facilitated ankylosis to treat osteoarthritis in specific joints of horses. It finds that the procedure often results in a rapid reduction of lameness and joint space collapse.

Objective and Methodology

• The research aims to ascertain the success and safety of alcohol-facilitated ankylosis – a procedure involving the injection of alcohol into the distal intertarsal (DIT) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints – as a treatment for horses suffering from osteoarthritis (commonly known as bone spavin).
• 21 horses with DIT or TMT joint-related hind limb lameness and 5 healthy, non-lame horses were part of this prospective clinical trial.
• The horses were divided into two groups: group 1 (11 horses) and group 2 (10 horses). The latter group is used as a control for data collection.
• In both groups, horses first underwent lameness, force-plate and radiographic examinations. If these tests identified lameness, they were repeated after the use of intra-articular analgesia. The non-lame horses helped attain data on the effect of the force-plate.
• After establishing the lameness to the DIT and TMT joints for each horse, a contrast arthrographic evaluation was performed.
• If there was no apparent or suspected communication with the tibiotarsal joint, 70% ethyl alcohol (3 mL) was injected.

Procedure Follow-ups and Findings

• Follow-ups, including lameness, force-plate and radiographic examinations, were conducted on the horses in group 1 every three months for a year post-procedure.
• Follow-up information on Group 2 horses was obtained from the owners or through direct clinical examination.
• The results showed significant reduction in lameness (post 3 days to 3 months) in all treated horses.
• By the end of 12 months, 10 out of 11 horses from group 1 were not lame, while one had a mild lameness grade of 0.5.
• For group 2, follow-up information on 9 out of the 10 horses was available; of these, 7 were not lame, while 2 exhibited mild lameness.

Conclusions

• The application of intra-articular alcohol injection in horses suffering from bone spavin resulted in a usually speedy (within 3 months) reduction in lameness and joint space collapse, proving the treatment to be quite effective.