Ballistic shock wave lithotripsy in an 18-year-old thoroughbred gelding.

The researchers used ballistic shock wave lithotripsy, a non-invasive procedure, to break up a bladder stone in an 18-year-old thoroughbred gelding which sped up recovery time and enabled the horse to return to normal exercise sooner.

Objective Overview

This research focused on exploring the use of ballistic shock wave lithotripsy for treating large bladder stones in horses. An 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with an 8-cm diameter bladder stone served as the subject. The procedure successfully crumbled the stone, and the residues were later flushed out. The horse, under epidural anesthesia, showed quick recovery with no negative postoperative results.

Detailed Study Description

• The motivation behind the study was to find non-invasive treatment methods that allow for quicker recovery times and allow horses to return to exercise routines sooner.
• Ballistic shock wave lithotripsy was chosen as a promising technique for its ability to break down stones non-invasively. This procedure involves sending powerful shockwaves into the body, which are focused onto the stone in an attempt to break it down into small, sand-like particles.
• The animal subject for the study was an 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding horse with an unusually large 8-cm diameter bladder stone.

Procedure and Results

• The treatment was performed with the horse under epidural anesthesia, allowing the horse to remain standing during the process.
• The stone in the horse’s bladder was successfully shattered by the ballistic shock waves into small, sand-like particles. These remnants were then flushed out.
• The postoperative period was incident-free, marking the procedure as successful. This implies that the procedure was well-tolerated by the horse and could potentially be used in similar clinical scenarios.

Conclusion

• The study successfully demonstrates that ballistic shock wave lithotripsy can be a viable, non-invasive treatment for large bladder stones in horses. Not only did it effectively breakdown the stone, but it also allowed for the quick recovery and return to normal activity level of the horse.
• This research opens the doorway for more investigations on the use of this technique in different animals or varying levels of stone severity.