Post-anaesthetic myelomalacia in a horse.
Abstract: This article describes a rare neurological complication of anaesthesia in a 2 year-old Clydesdale colt undergoing castration. Anaesthesia was induced with glyceryl guaiacol ether and ketamine and maintained with halothane. Following an uneventful anaesthetic of 40 minutes, the horse recovered from anaesthesia in a padded recovery stall. After approximately 70 minutes in the recovery stall, the horse attempted to stand and adopted a dog sitting position. One hundred and fifty minutes later, the horse became distressed and was sedated with xylazine. Clinical examination of the horse did not reveal any evidence of myositis or fractures. A neurological examination revealed an intact anal reflex, deep pain response in the hind legs, tail tone and voluntary movement of the hind legs was possible. The horse deteriorated neurologically over the next 24 hours and was euthanased on humane grounds. The horse was submitted for necropsy. Gross pathology was unremarkable except for a small amount of haemorrhage around the right kidney. Histopathology revealed no abnormalities in any muscle groups or peripheral nerves. Congestion and axonal swelling of the spinal cord was evident from T16 to S1. Ischaemic neurons were evident from L 1 to L 6. The most prominent lesions were at L4 and L5. A diagnosis of myelomalacia was made. This is a rare complication of anaesthesia in horses with 9 case studies appearing in the literature since 1979. This is the 1st case to be reported in South Africa. The speculated pathophysiology and risk factors for this complication are discussed.
Publication Date: 2005-05-20 PubMed ID: 15900899DOI: 10.4102/jsava.v76i1.392Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article discusses a rare case of myelomalacia, a neurological condition occurring post-anaesthesia, in a 2-year-old Clydesdale colt that was being castrated.
Case Presentation
- The colt was administered glyceryl guaiacol ether and ketamine for inducing anaesthesia, which was sustained with halothane. The anaesthetic procedure lasted 40 minutes and did not report any complications.
- The recovery period in a padded recovery stall showed initial signs of irregular behavior. The horse attempted to stand up after about 70 minutes in the recovery stall and adopted a dog-sitting position.
- Approximately 150 minutes later, the horse showed signs of distress and was subsequently sedated with xylazine.
Clinical Examination
- Upon examination, there was no evidence of myositis or fractures.
- A neurological assessment recorded an intact anal reflex, response to deep pain in the hind legs, and the preservation of wild movement in the hind legs. The clinical findings didn’t give any immediate sign of major neurological deficits.
Final Diagnosis and Euthanasia
- However, the horse’s neurological condition deteriorated over the next 24 hours, leading to its euthanization on humane grounds.
- A necropsy was performed, revealing minor external abnormalities such as a small amount of haemorrhage around the right kidney.
- Upon histopathological examination, no abnormalities were identified in any muscle groups or peripheral nerves. However, congestion and axonal swelling in the spinal cord from T16 to S1 were found.
- Additionally, ischaemic neurons were apparent from L 1 to L 6 with prominent lesions observed at L4 and L5, leading to a confirmatory diagnosis of myelomalacia.
Discussion
- Myelomalacia is a rarely reported complication of anaesthesia in horses, with only nine cases appearing in literature since 1979. This case is the first to be reported in South Africa.
- The potential pathophysiology and risk factors associated with this complication are speculated upon and discussed in the article.
Cite This Article
APA
Jouber KE, Duncan N, Murray SE.
(2005).
Post-anaesthetic myelomalacia in a horse.
J S Afr Vet Assoc, 76(1), 36-39.
https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v76i1.392 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Anaesthesiology: Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa. kenneth@fourwaysvet.co.za
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia, General / adverse effects
- Anesthesia, General / veterinary
- Animals
- Cryptorchidism / surgery
- Cryptorchidism / veterinary
- Fatal Outcome
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Postoperative Complications
- Spinal Cord / pathology
- Spinal Cord Diseases / etiology
- Spinal Cord Diseases / pathology
- Spinal Cord Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G. Short-Term Survival and Postoperative Complications Rates in Horses Undergoing Colic Surgery: A Multicentre Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Mar 20;13(6).
- Gozalo-Marcilla M, Ringer SK. Recovery after General Anaesthesia in Adult Horses: A Structured Summary of the Literature. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 14;11(6).
- Aleman M, Berryhill E, Woolard K, Easton-Jones CA, Kozikowski-Nicholas T, Dyson S, Kilcoyne I. Sidewinder gait in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Sep;34(5):2122-2131.
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