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Holmium:YAG laser lithotripsy for urolithiasis in horses.
Abstract: Laser lithotripsy has been used as an alternative to surgical removal of uroliths. Objective: To describe the procedure and efficacy of laser lithotripsy for removal of lower urinary tract uroliths in horses. Additionally, the ultrastructure and the differences in mineralogy and microstructure from 1 successful and 1 unsuccessful laser lithotripsy case are described. Methods: Six client-owned horses with 7 episodes of naturally occurring urocystoliths, urethroliths, or both. Methods: Retrospective study of all horses treated between 2006 and 2008 by laser lithotripsy. All horses were sedated followed by laser lithotripsy. Quantitative urolith analysis was performed in all cases. Ultrastructure and microstructure analyses were performed on uroliths from 2 horses. Results: Procedural success was achieved in 5 of 7 laser lithotripsy procedures. No complications occurred as a result of laser lithotripsy. One horse developed uroabdomen likely as a result of manual lithotrite disruption of the bladder after failure of laser lithotripsy. There were differences in microstructure between 1 urolith that was successfully fragmented by laser lithotripsy and 1 urolith that was resistant to laser fragmentation. Conclusions: Laser lithotripsy is an effective procedure for removal of some urocystoliths, urethroliths, or both in horses.
Publication Date: 2009-07-01 PubMed ID: 19572912DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0348.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article investigates the use and efficacy of laser lithotripsy, a procedure using lasers to break down urinary stones in horses. The study also delves into the micro-structures of these stones to understand why some are effectively broken down by the procedure, while others are resistant to fragmentation.
Study Plan and Procedure
- The study was conducted retrospectively on six client-owned horses who had a total of seven incidents of urocystoliths, and urethroliths occurring naturally.
- These incidents took place between 2006 and 2008 and all the horses were treated using laser lithotripsy, a procedure in which laser is used to break down the urinary tract stones.
- Each horse was sedated before the procedure and the urinary stones were quantitatively analyzed in every case.
- The research also incorporated investigating the microstructures and ultrastructure of urinary stones taken from two horses.
Results and Findings
- The laser lithotripsy procedure was successful in 5 out of the 7 cases, with no complications arising directly from the use of the laser.
- One horse developed a condition called uroabdomen, which is accumulation of urine in the abdominal cavity. This was likely due to the disruption of the bladder by a manual lithotrite (a tool used to fragment urinary stones) following the failure of the initial laser lithotripsy procedure.
- There were observable differences in the microstructure of one urinary stone that was successfully broken down by the laser lithotripsy, as compared to another stone that was resistant to this fragmentation process.
Conclusions
- The study concludes that laser lithotripsy can be an effective method for treating some cases of urocystoliths and urethroliths in horses. These are conditions involving stone formation in the urinary bladder and urinary tract respectively.
- The differences in the microstructure of the stones may give an indication as to why some stones are more resistant to the laser lithotripsy procedure.
Cite This Article
APA
Grant DC, Westropp JL, Shiraki R, Ruby AL.
(2009).
Holmium:YAG laser lithotripsy for urolithiasis in horses.
J Vet Intern Med, 23(5), 1079-1085.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0348.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA. dgrant@vt.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Lasers, Solid-State / therapeutic use
- Lithotripsy, Laser / methods
- Lithotripsy, Laser / veterinary
- Male
- Retrospective Studies
- Urinary Calculi / chemistry
- Urolithiasis / pathology
- Urolithiasis / therapy
- Urolithiasis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Ternisien T, Dunn M, Vachon C, Manguin E, Bonilla AG, Jean D. Minimally invasive removal of obstructive ureteral stones by intracorporeal lithotripsy in horses: 3 patients. Can Vet J 2023 Jan;64(1):25-30.
- Shigemoto J, Kawazu M. Safety and efficacy of transurethral laser lithotripsy and percutaneous laser lithotripsy in 41 dogs with lower urinary tract stones. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1643635.
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