Radical surgical resection of locally invasive oro-cutaneous tumors in the buccal region of 2 horses.

The research paper presents two case studies where large, invasive tumors in the cheek region of horses were successfully removed using radical electrosurgery and healed effectively through secondary intention, without recurrence or significant discomfort.

Research Objective and Methodology

• The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of radical surgical mass excision in treating buccal region tumors in horses, specifically focusing on the post-surgical wound healing process.
• The subject of the research were two horses; an 11-year-old Warmblood gelding and a 9-year-old Norwegian Trotter gelding, both suffering from sizable tumoral masses in the buccal region.
• The surgical procedure was carried out using radical electrosurgery, a technique that involves using heat from an electric current to cut tissue or stop bleeding.
• The surgery led to the creation of large defects, extending into the oral cavity of the horses. These defects healed over time via a process known as “second intention” healing.

Results

• The post-surgery defects in both horses showed positive healing outcome through second intention, a process where the wound heals naturally without surgical closure, allowing the formation of granulation tissue to cover the defect.
• There was no recurrence of tumor observed in either of the horses, speaking to the effectiveness of radical electroexcision in thoroughly eliminating the tumoral masses.

Conclusions

• This study demonstrated that locally invasive tumors in the cheek region of horses can be effectively treated by sole use of radical electroexcision, managing to create transmural defects sized up to 14 cm length x 8 cm height.
• The study further confirms that these large transmural defects formed by radical surgery can satisfactorily heal through a second intention process without causing excessive discomfort to the patient or resulting in major complications.
• This research could serve as a testament to the applicability of radical electrosurgery as an effective treatment method for large buccal tumors in horses.