Empyema of the equine paranasal sinuses.

The research focuses on chronic sinus infections in horses, revealing a correlation with the age of the animal and potentially breed. Conventional treatments proved effective in 17 out of 28 surveyed cases, while antibiotic therapy seemed to have no effect.

Study Overview

• The study evaluates 28 cases of chronic sinus infections (empyema) in horses.
• The research discovered a correlation between the incidence of the infection and the horse’s age. There also seemed to be possible connections with the breed of the horse.
• Importantly, the research identified dental disease as the possible cause of half of the cases they investigated.

Conventional Treatment and Antibiotic Therapy

• The conventional treatment for this condition involves trephination (drilling a hole in the skull) followed by flushing the sinus cavity with antiseptic solutions.
• This treatment method was found effective for over one year in 17 of the total 28 horses under study.
• On the other hand, the application of antibiotic therapy was shown to be ineffective in treating chronic empyema in these horses.

Prognosis and Long-term Effects

• The study indicates that the development of facial swelling is a sign usually seen in long-standing cases.
• Such occurrence is noted to have an adverse effect on the prognosis of the disease, implying that it worsens the outlook for recovery.

In summary, this research sheds light on the chronic sinus infections on horses, highlighting the influence of age and breed, the effectiveness of conventional treatment, and the impact of long-term effects like facial swelling on recovery outcomes.