Effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on wounds of the distal portion of the limbs in horses.
Abstract: To evaluate the effects of focused, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on the healing of wounds of the distal portion of the limbs in horses. Methods: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: In each horse, a 4-cm-diameter full-thickness wound that included underlying periosteum was created on the dorsomedial aspect of each metacarpus and two 3-cm-diameter full-thickness wounds that included underlying periosteum were created on the dorsomedial aspect of each metatarsus. One randomly selected metacarpal wound and a randomly selected pair of metatarsal wounds were treated once weekly with ESWT at an energy flux density of 0.11 mJ/mm(2). For metacarpal wounds, swab specimens were collected for bacterial culture on days 1, 2, and 3 and area of epithelialization and extent of wound contraction were measured at 3- to 4-day intervals. Metatarsal wounds were biopsied after 2 and 4 weeks, and immunohistochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta1, and insulin-like growth factor-1 was performed. Results: Results of bacterial culture, area of epithelialization, and percentage of wound contraction did not differ between treated and untreated wounds; however, healing time for treated wounds (mean, 76 days) was significantly shorter than healing time for untreated wounds (90 days). Staining intensity of growth factors did not differ significantly between treated and untreated wounds. Conclusions: Findings suggested that ESWT may stimulate healing of wounds of the distal portion of the limbs in horses, although the mechanism by which healing was stimulated could not be identified.
Publication Date: 2009-05-02 PubMed ID: 19405886DOI: 10.2460/javma.234.9.1154Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This research article examines the effect of applying focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on the healing process of limb wounds in horses. The study found that even though there was no significant difference in the bacterial content, epithelialization area, wound contraction and the staining intensity of growth factors, the average healing time was faster in treated wounds compared to untreated wounds.
Study Methodology
- Six healthy adult horses were used in the study. Full-thickness wounds with four cm diameter, inclusive of the underlying periosteum, were created on the dorsomedial aspect of each metacarpus. This was teamed with a pair of three cm diameter full-thickness wounds, also inclusive of the underlying periosteum, created on the dorsomedial aspect.
- One metacarpal wound and a pair of metatarsal wounds were randomly selected and treated once a week using an ESWT at an energy flux density of 0.11 mJ/mm(2).
- For the metacarpal wounds, swab specimens were gathered to determine bacterial culture on the initial three days and the epithelialization area as well as the extent of wound contraction were measured at intervals of three to four days.
- After two and four weeks, metatarsal wounds were biopsied and subjected to immunohistochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta1, and insulin-like growth factor-1.
Research Findings
- The results indicated that the treated and untreated wounds didn’t reflect a significant difference in terms of bacterial culture, area of epithelialization, and contraction percentage.
- However, the average healing time for the wounds that received ESWT treatment (76 days) was significantly shorter than those without treatment (90 days).
- The intensity of the staining of growth factors also did not show a significant difference between the two categories of wounds.
Conclusions
- The study findings suggested that ESWT might stimulate the healing process of wounds on the distal part of the limbs in horses.
- Nonetheless, the exact healing-stimulating mechanism activated through ESWT remained unidentified.
Cite This Article
APA
Morgan DD, McClure S, Yaeger MJ, Schumacher J, Evans RB.
(2009).
Effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on wounds of the distal portion of the limbs in horses.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 234(9), 1154-1161.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.234.9.1154 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biopsy
- Extremities / injuries
- Extremities / pathology
- Granulation Tissue / pathology
- Granulation Tissue / radiation effects
- High-Energy Shock Waves / therapeutic use
- Horses / injuries
- Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
- Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / analysis
- Transforming Growth Factor beta / analysis
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / analysis
- Wound Healing / physiology
- Wound Healing / radiation effects
- Wounds and Injuries / microbiology
- Wounds and Injuries / therapy
- Wounds and Injuries / veterinary
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