Comparative clinical and thermographic responses to dexamethasone and saline solution mesotherapy in horses with spinal disorders.

Overview

• This study compared the effects of two different mesotherapy treatments—dexamethasone and saline solution—on horses with spinal disorders.
• Researchers evaluated changes in clinical signs and thermographic patterns over time to observe potential improvements in spinal function and tissue inflammation.

Background

• Spinal disorders in horses often involve complex musculoskeletal issues that impact mobility, performance, and welfare.
• Mesotherapy, a minimally invasive technique involving intradermal injections, is increasingly used as an adjunct treatment for musculoskeletal problems.
• There is limited research comparing different mesotherapy substances and their clinical outcomes specifically for spinal conditions in horses.

Study Design and Methods

• Subjects: Forty horses diagnosed with spinal abnormalities via ultrasound in either the cervical or thoracolumbar region were included.
• Grouping: Horses were stratified by affected spinal region and randomly allocated into four groups (10 horses each): cervical-dexamethasone, cervical-saline, thoracolumbar-dexamethasone, and thoracolumbar-saline.
• Intervention: Each group received intradermal mesotherapy injections containing either dexamethasone sulfate (a corticosteroid at 0.05 mg/kg) or saline solution as a control substance.
• Assessments: Clinical exams involved measuring joint mobility and muscle hypotrophy, while thermographic imaging was used to assess tissue temperature patterns that can indicate inflammation or blood flow changes.
• Timeline: Evaluations were conducted at baseline (pre-treatment), and at 48 hours, 15 days, 30 days, and 60 days post-treatment.
• Statistical analysis: Linear mixed models accounted for repeated measures within subjects, and Dunnett’s test determined significant temporal changes (p < 0.05 considered significant).

Key Findings

• Both treatment groups showed temporal improvement in joint mobility, especially regarding thoracolumbar extension, which improved significantly starting at 48 hours and continued through 60 days.
• Thermography revealed improving temperature patterns suggestive of reduced inflammation or better circulation in the thoracolumbar area at early (48 hours) and intermediate (15 days) time points.
• No statistically significant differences were found between the dexamethasone and saline mesotherapy groups for most measured outcomes, indicating similar effects.
• Thermography appeared to be a sensitive tool for detecting subtle changes over time, possibly more so than purely clinical measures in this study setup.

Interpretation and Limitations

• Both mesotherapy protocols—dexamethasone and saline—produced comparable clinical and thermographic outcomes in horses with spinal disorders.
• The lack of a no-treatment or sham control group limits the ability to determine whether improvements were due to the injections themselves, placebo effects, natural healing, or specific drug effects.
• Thus, the study primarily provides comparative insights rather than confirming the absolute therapeutic efficacy or mechanisms behind either treatment.
• Further controlled research including untreated or placebo groups is necessary to clarify whether mesotherapy has true therapeutic benefits beyond injection-related procedural effects.

Conclusion

• This study suggests that intradermal mesotherapy with either dexamethasone or saline solution leads to similar improvements in horses’ spinal mobility and thermographic indicators over 60 days.
• Thermography is a useful complementary tool to clinical assessment for monitoring treatment response.
• Due to methodological constraints, the findings should be interpreted as relative comparisons between two active treatments rather than definitive evidence of their efficacy.