Outcome of horses undergoing navicular bursotomy for the treatment of contaminated or septic navicular bursitis: 19 cases (2002-2016).

The research article focusses on the outcome of horses treated for contaminated or septic navicular bursitis through navicular bursotomy and a combination of systemic and local antimicrobial therapies. It emphasizes that an effective treatment plan could result in a good prognosis, even in chronic cases.

Research Objective

The primary goal of the research was to establish the efficacy of navicular bursotomy—accompanied by systemic and local antimicrobial treatments—in treating horses with contaminated or septic navicular bursitis.

Methodology

• The research involved a descriptive case study method.
• The researchers reviewed medical records spanning over a period of 2002-2016.
• A follow-up was established by reaching out to owners or referring veterinarians.
• The outcomes of the treatment intervention were divided into two categories. Successful, where the horses could return to their prior level of performance, and satisfactory, where the horses survived but could not achieve previous function or performance level.

Results

• All the horses managed to survive until the end of their hospital stay.
• Long term follow-ups ranging from 4 months to nearly 13 years post-surgery were achieved.
• A notable majority of the horses (approximately 84.2%) could return to their earlier level of usage.
• Conversely, about 15.8% of horses could only achieve a lower performance level or were only pasture sound.
• The owners of all 19 horses expressed satisfaction with the outcomes.

Challenges and Limitations

• The study involved a relatively small sample size, and its retrospective nature might have potentially influenced the results.
• The follow-up procedures were limited to telephone contact, which could lead to recall bias.

Conclusion

The study concludes that navicular bursotomy, paired with local and systematic antimicrobial treatments, proves to be an effective treatment for contaminated or septic navicular bursitis in horses. The high success rate indicates that this technique should be considered as a treatment option, predominantly in chronic cases or where equipment or expertise for bursoscopy is not available.