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Home / Equine Research Bank / Acta Vet Scand / Neuromas at the castration site in geldings.
Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2019; 61(1); 43; doi: 10.1186/s13028-019-0479-8

Neuromas at the castration site in geldings.

Abstract: Inguinal pain, unexplained hind limb lameness, back pain or behavioural problems in geldings could be attributable to painful neuromas that develop as a consequence of crushing and severing the testicular nerves during castration. The presence of neuroma in this anatomical location has never been reported, hence the knowledge of possible clinical relevance is limited. The aim of this study was to histologically investigate the testicular nerves at the castration site in geldings for the presence of neuromas. Proximal spermatic cord remnants were collected from 20 geldings admitted to routine post mortem examination for various reasons. The time of castration was unknown, but it had not been performed during the last year. Spermatic cord specimens were immersed in 10% formalin, trimmed, dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, sectioned and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (HE) for light microscopy. Identification of nerve tissue was done by immuno-localization of nerve specific enolase (NSE). Results: Neuromas were found in 21 spermatic cords from 13 geldings and were bilateral in eight of the horses. The neuromas consisted of areas with small groups of non-neoplastic proliferations of peripheral neural tissue. The tissue included neurofilaments and Schwann cells, intermingled or surrounded with, epineural, perineural and endoneural fibrous tissue. The neural tissue immunostained positive with NSE. Conclusions: This study showed neuromas of the remnant testicular nerves at the site of castration. Further studies are required to establish if these neuromas in the castration site are painful and if certain castration methods promote their formation. Future studies should also investigate the clinical consequence of these neuromas for the individual horse.
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Publication Date: 2019-09-24 PubMed ID: 31551087PubMed Central: PMC6760059DOI: 10.1186/s13028-019-0479-8Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 research investigates the possibility of painful neuromas forming in the testicular nerves of geldings (castrated male horses) following castration. The study histologically investigated the nerves at the castration site in 20 geldings and found neuromas present in 21 testicular nerves.

Study Background

  • The research was sparked by cases of unexplained hindlimb lameness, back pain, inguinal pain, and behavioural issues in geldings, and the possibility of these being linked to painful neuromas developing as a result of the trauma of castration.
  • The study notes that this is the first time neuromas at this location have been reported, thereby limiting previous understanding of potential clinical implications.

Methodology

  • The index study involved detailed histological examinations of proximal spermatic cord remnants taken from 20 geldings that were undergoing routine post-mortem studies for varied reasons.
  • The time of each castration was unknown but had occurred at least a year prior to the study.
  • Spermatic cord specimens underwent several procedural steps before light microscopic examination: they were immersed in 10% formalin, trimmed, dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and then stained with haematoxylin and eosin (HE).
  • To identify nerve tissue, immune-localization of nerve specific enolase (NSE) was utilized.

Findings

  • The study found neuromas in 21 spermatic cords from 13 of the geldings. Eight geldings had bilateral (occurring on both sides) neuromas.
  • The neuromas were identified as small clusters of non-neoplastic peripheral neural tissue growth, including neurofilaments and Schwann cells. This tissue was either intermingled with, or surrounded by, fibrous epineural, perineural, and endoneural tissue.
  • The neural tissue was confirmed with NSE immunostaining.

Conclusions and Future Direction

  • The research concludes that neuromas can develop in the remaining testicular nerves at the castration site in geldings.
  • Due to these findings, the authors argue for further study to confirm if these neuromas cause pain, determine if certain castration methods amplify their formation, and investigate potential clinical consequences for the individual horse.

Cite This Article

APA
Bengtsdotter EA, Ekman S, Andersen PH. (2019). Neuromas at the castration site in geldings. Acta Vet Scand, 61(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-019-0479-8

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 61
Issue: 1
Pages: 43

Researcher Affiliations

Bengtsdotter, Emma Angelina
  • Department of Biomedicine and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. emma.bengtsdotter@slu.se.
Ekman, Stina
  • Department of Biomedicine and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
Andersen, Pia Haubro
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horse Diseases / etiology
  • Horse Diseases / pathology
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Neuroma / diagnosis
  • Neuroma / etiology
  • Neuroma / pathology
  • Neuroma / veterinary
  • Orchiectomy / adverse effects
  • Orchiectomy / veterinary
  • Pain / etiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Johnston CH, Whittaker AL, Franklin SH, Hutchinson MR. The Neuroimmune Interface and Chronic Pain Through the Lens of Production Animals. Front Neurosci 2022;16:887042.
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  2. Nishiura H, Jou S, Ogata T, Kondo H, Ichijo T, Sasaki J, Ochiai K. Calving-related intradural avulsion injuries of the thoracolumbar spinal nerve roots in a calf. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Nov;32(6):968-971.
    doi: 10.1177/1040638720957640pubmed: 32930085google scholar: lookup
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