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Frontiers in veterinary science2020; 7; 600; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00600

High-Power Laser Therapy Improves Healing of the Equine Suspensory Branch in a Standardized Lesion Model.

Abstract: High-power laser therapy is often used as a treatment for human sport injuries but controlled standardized studies on its efficacy are lacking. The technique has also been introduced in the equine field and recently promising results were reported in a retrospective study focusing on 150 sporthorses suffering from tendinopathy and desmopathy of the SDFT, DDFT, suspensory ligament, and suspensory branches. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of high-power laser in a standardized lesion model in horses. Lesions were created in all lateral suspensory branches of 12 warmblood horses. In each horse, 2 of the 4 lesioned branches were treated daily with a multi-frequency high-power laser for 4 weeks. Color Doppler ultrasonography was performed during and after the treatment period. Six horses were euthanized 4 weeks post-surgery (short-term) and 6 were further rehabilitated until 6 months and then euthanized (long-term). High-field MRI evaluation was performed on all cadaver limbs. On ultrasound, transverse size of the lesion was significantly smaller after 2- and 3 months (p = 0.026 and p = 0.015) in the treated branches. The expected post-surgery enlargement of the lesion circumference and cross-sectional area (CSA) over time, was significantly lower in the short-term laser treated group (p = 0.016 and p = 0.010). Treated lesions showed a significantly increased Doppler signal during treatment (p < 0.001) compared with control. On MRI, in the short and long-term group, the CSA of the lesions was significantly smaller (p = 0.002), and the mean signal significantly lower in the treatment groups (p = 0.006). This standardized controlled study shows that multi-frequency high-power laser therapy significantly improves healing of a suspensory branch ligament lesion.
Copyright © 2020 Pluim, Martens, Vanderperren, van Weeren, Oosterlinck, Dewulf, Kichouh, Van Thielen, Koene, Luciani, Plancke and Delesalle.
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Publication Date: 2020-09-03 PubMed ID: 33102552PubMed Central: PMC7494822DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00600Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates the efficacy of high-power laser therapy in enhancing the healing process of suspensory branch ligament injuries in horses. The research indicates that treatment with multi-frequency high-power lasers significantly reduces the size and signal of the lesion, demonstrating their potential efficacy in promoting healing.

Methodology

The researchers applied high-power laser therapy in a standardized lesion model created on horses.

  • They selected 12 warmblood horses and created lesions in all lateral suspensory branches.
  • In each horse, they treated 2 of the 4 lesioned branches with a multi-frequency high-power laser daily for a duration of 4 weeks.
  • Color Doppler ultrasonography was conducted during and after the treatment period to monitor the progress of the injury.
  • At the end of the study, they euthanized 6 horses 4 weeks post-surgery (short-term group) and allowed the remaining 6 horses to rehabilitate until 6 months before euthanasia (long-term group).

Results

The study outcomes were measured against the size, signal, and time of recovery of the ligament lesions.

  • The researchers observed that the transverse size of the lesion was significantly smaller after 2- and 3 months in the laser-treated branches.
  • The expected enlargement of the lesion circumference and cross-sectional area over time was also significantly lower in the short-term laser treated group.
  • The treated lesions demonstrated a significantly increased Doppler signal during treatment compared with the control.
  • Upon examination with MRI, in both the short- and long-term groups, the cross-sectional area of the lesions was significantly smaller, and the mean signal was significantly lower in the treatment groups.

Conclusions

The experiments conducted in this study have provided evidence that high-power laser therapy can significantly improve the healing process of suspensory branch ligament lesions in horses. The therapy notably reduced the size and signal of the lesions over the course of the study, traits associated with healing.

Cite This Article

APA
Pluim M, Martens A, Vanderperren K, van Weeren R, Oosterlinck M, Dewulf J, Kichouh M, Van Thielen B, Koene MHW, Luciani A, Plancke L, Delesalle C. (2020). High-Power Laser Therapy Improves Healing of the Equine Suspensory Branch in a Standardized Lesion Model. Front Vet Sci, 7, 600. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00600

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 7
Pages: 600

Researcher Affiliations

Pluim, Mathilde
  • Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Research Group of Comparative Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
  • Tierklinik Lüsche GmbH, Bakum, Germany.
Martens, Ann
  • Department of Surgery and Anaesthesiology of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Vanderperren, Katrien
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
van Weeren, René
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Oosterlinck, Maarten
  • Department of Surgery and Anaesthesiology of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Dewulf, Jeroen
  • Unit of Veterinary Epidemiology, Department of Obstetrics, Reproduction and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Kichouh, Mimoun
  • Radiology Department, Brussels University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
Van Thielen, Bert
  • Radiology Department, Brussels University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
  • Odisee Hogeschool, Campus Terranova, Training Center for Imaging Technologists, Brussels, Belgium.
Koene, Marc H W
  • Tierklinik Lüsche GmbH, Bakum, Germany.
Luciani, Antonio
  • Tierklinik Lüsche GmbH, Bakum, Germany.
Plancke, Lukas
  • Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Research Group of Comparative Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Delesalle, Cathérine
  • Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Research Group of Comparative Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Jacobs C, Schnabel LV, Redding Horne C, Tufts S, Martin EGM, Love K. Postoperative management following equine orthopedic surgery: a survey of diplomates of the ACVS and ACVSMR. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1708401.
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  2. Boado A, Pollard D, Dyson S. Retrospective Analysis of Suspensory Ligament Branch Injuries in 70 Dressage Horses. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 23;15(21).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15213079pubmed: 41227410google scholar: lookup
  3. Guest DJ, Birch HL, Thorpe CT. A review of the equine suspensory ligament: Injury prone yet understudied. Equine Vet J 2025 Sep;57(5):1167-1182.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14447pubmed: 39604165google scholar: lookup
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