Meniscal tears in horses: an evaluation of clinical signs and arthroscopic treatment of 80 cases.

This study investigates the effects of clinical signs, arthroscopic findings and prognosis of meniscal injuries in horses, and the influence of various factors on outcomes following arthroscopic treatment in 80 horses.

Study Objective and Methods

• The researchers aimed to explore the influence of clinical and radiographic signs, in addition to arthroscopic findings and treatment, on the outcomes of meniscal injuries in horses.
• The severity of the meniscal injury was recorded for each case, alongside pre-surgery clinical and radiographic findings, and any concurrent injury in the joint seen during the arthroscopy.
• The impact of these factors and the injury grade on the outcome were investigated using either Fisher’s exact test or Chi-square analysis.
• The cohort was composed of horses in which meniscal injury was deemed to be the main cause of lameness.

Results

• A total of 80 meniscal injuries were diagnosed and treated arthroscopically at the Liphook Equine Hospital. Following treatment, 47% of horses went back to full use.
• Statistical analysis showed poor prognosis was linked with increasing severity of the meniscal injury, concurrent articular cartilage lesions and radiographic abnormalities within the joint.
• Arthroscopic treatment of certain lesions was hampered due to the inaccessibility of parts of the femorotibial joint – a limitation the researchers noted in their findings.

Conclusions

• The researchers suggest more investigation is needed to refine and evaluate arthroscopic techniques for treating these injuries.
• The study forms a platform for future work on the development of more sophisticated and effective treatments for meniscal injuries in horses, focusing especially on the parts of the joint that are hard to reach via arthroscopy.