FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Surg / Subchondral lucencies of the proximal tibia in 17 horses.
Veterinary surgery : VS2020; 49(4); 778-786; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13387

Subchondral lucencies of the proximal tibia in 17 horses.

Abstract: To describe subchondral lucencies (SCL) in the equine proximal tibia, several treatment options, and clinical outcomes. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Seventeen horses with proximal tibial SCL. Methods: Medical record and radiograph review. Follow-up was obtained via examination and radiography when possible and by telephone and race records when required. The median duration of follow-up was 20 months (range, 0-48). Results: Proximal tibial SCL were associated with lameness in 14 of 17 horses. Subchondral lucencies were primary in 11 horses and secondary to an ipsilateral medial femoral condyle SCL in six horses. One foal with a primary SCL was euthanized because of osteomyelitis. Six horses ≤1 year old with primary SCL were managed with exercise restrictions only; SCL in three horses without lameness decreased in size, whereas three horses with lameness did not improve. One young horse treated with surgical debridement failed to improve and was euthanized. Lameness resolved in three horses with primary tibial SCL treated with screw fixation. Screw fixation of secondary SCL in five horses led to a reduction in SCL size and degree of lameness. Conclusions: Primary tibial SCL healed with rest in 3 non-lame young horses with small SCL, but was not successful in lame horses with larger SC. Radiographic size and associated lameness improved or resolved with screw fixation in primary and secondary proximal tibial SCL. Conclusions: Primary tibial SCL that did not cause lameness healed with conservative management, but persistent primary and secondary tibial SCL required screw fixation to reduce lameness.
© 2020 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2020-02-07 PubMed ID: 32031290DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13387Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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.

The research article explores the occurrence of subchondral lucencies (SCL) in the proximal tibia of horses, their treatment options, and the clinical outcomes of these treatments. The study suggests that primary tibial SCL that does not cause lameness can heal with conservative management, but persistent primary and secondary tibial SCL may require screw fixation to reduce lameness.

About the Study

  • The researchers conducted a retrospective study, investigating 17 horse cases which presented subchondral lucencies (SCL) in their proximal tibia.
  • This study was conducted using a comprehensive review of the horses’ medical records and radiographs.
  • The team carried out follow-ups on the horses’ conditions through additional examinations and radiography when feasible, and via telephone and race records when required.
  • The median duration of these follow-ups was approximately 20 months, ranging from zero to 48 months.

Research Findings

  • 14 out of 17 horses with proximal tibial SCL were found to have lameness associated with the condition.
  • In 11 of these, SCL were the primary cause. In contrast, in the remaining 6 horses, the SCL were secondary to an ipsilateral medial femoral condyle SCL.
  • One young horse euthanized due to osteomyelitis was discovered to have a primary SCL.
  • Six horses aged 1 year old or less with primary SCL were managed with exercise restrictions only. In three of these, the SCL reduced in size and did not exhibit any lameness, while the remaining three which were lame, did not show any improvement.
  • A young horse that underwent surgical debridement for treatment did not show any improvement and was eventually put down.

Treatment Outcomes

  • Three horses with primary tibial SCL experienced resolved lameness after being treated with screw fixation.
  • The same treatment was used on five horses with secondary SCL. It led to a reduction in SCL size and degree of lameness.
  • Overall, it was observed that primary tibial SCL that did not exhibit lameness healed with a conservative treatment approach, such as rest in non-lame young horses with less prominent SCL.
  • However, persistent primary and secondary tibial SCL required a more rigorous form of intervention, which in this study was screw fixation, to reduce lameness.

Cite This Article

APA
Santschi EM, Whitman JL, Prichard MA, Lopes MAF, Pigott JH, Brokken MT, Jenson PW, Johnson CR, Morrow C, Brusie RW, Juzwiak JS, Morehead JP. (2020). Subchondral lucencies of the proximal tibia in 17 horses. Vet Surg, 49(4), 778-786. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13387

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 49
Issue: 4
Pages: 778-786

Researcher Affiliations

Santschi, Elizabeth M
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.
Whitman, Jeremy L
  • Equine Medical Associates, Lexington, Kentucky.
Prichard, Michael A
  • Equine Medical Associates, Lexington, Kentucky.
Lopes, Marco A F
  • Equine Health and Performance Centre, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Pigott, John H
  • Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
Brokken, Matthew T
  • Veterinary Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Jenson, Paul W
  • Jenson Equine Hospital, Sunland Park, New Mexico.
Johnson, Christopher R
  • Equine Surgical Services, Lexington, Kentucky.
Morrow, Chris
  • Mobile Veterinary Practice, Amarillo, Texas.
Brusie, Robert W
  • Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Wellington, Florida.
Juzwiak, James S
  • Manor Equine Hospital, Monkton, Maryland.
Morehead, James P
  • Equine Medical Associates, Lexington, Kentucky.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Density
  • Bone Screws / veterinary
  • Debridement / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / surgery
  • Horses / physiology
  • Horses / surgery
  • Lameness, Animal / surgery
  • Radiography / veterinary
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tibia / physiopathology
  • Tibia / surgery

References

This article includes 19 references
  1. Baxter GM. Subchondral cystic lesions in horses. In: McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, eds. Joint Disease in the Horse. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 1996:384-397.
  2. Jeffcott LB, Kold SE. Clinical and radiological aspects of stifle bone cysts in the horse. Equine Vet J 1982;14:40-46.
  3. Textor JA, Nixon AJ, Lumsden J, Ducharme NG. Subchondral cystic lesions of the proximal extremity of the tibia in horses: 12 cases (1983-2000). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:408-413.
  4. Ortved KF, Nixon AJ, Mohammed HO, Fortier LA. Treatment of subchondral cystic lesions of the medial femoral condyle of mature horses with growth factor enhanced chondrocyte grafts: a retrospective study of 49 cases. Equine Vet J 2012;44:606-613.
  5. Wallis TW, Goodrich LR, McIlwraith CW. Arthroscopic injection of corticosteroids into the fibrous tissue of subchondral cystic lesions of the medial femoral condyle in horses: a retrospective study of 52 cases (2001-2006). Equine Vet J 2008;40:461-467.
  6. Santschi EM, Williams JM, Morgan JW, Johnson CR, Bertone AL, Juzwiak JS. Preliminary investigation into the treatment of equine medial femoral condylar subchondral cystic lesions with a transcondylar lag screw. Vet Surg 2015;44:281-288.
  7. Roquet I, Easter JL, Coomer RPC. Treatment of subchondral lucencies in the medial proximal radius with a bone screw in eight horses. Vet Surg 2017;46:478-485.
  8. Bonilla AG, Bertone AL, Brokken MT, Santschi EM. Concurrent or sequential development of proximal tibial subchondral lucencies or cystic lesions in 4 horses with medial femoral condyle subchondral cystic lesions. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2016;249:1313-1318.
  9. Cohen JM, Richardson DW, McKnight AL, Ross MW, Boston RC. Long-term outcome in 44 horses with stifle lameness after arthroscopic exploration and debridement. Vet Surg 2009;38:543-551.
  10. . Guide for Veterinary Service and Judging of Equestrian Events. 4th ed. Lexington, KY: American Association of Equine Practitioners; 1991.
  11. Frazer LL, Santschi EM, Fischer KJ. Stimulation of subchondral cyst healing by placement of a transcondylar screw in the equine medial femoral condyle. Vet Surg 2019;48(7):1194-1203.
    doi: 10.1111/vsu.13247google scholar: lookup
  12. Bonilla AG, Williams JM, Litsky AS, Santschi EM. Ex vivo medial tibial plateau contact pressure with an intact medial femoral condyle, with a medial femoral condylar defect, and after placement of a transcondylar screw through the condylar defect. Vet Surg 2015;44:289-296.
  13. Frazer LL, Santschi EM, Fischer KJ. Impact of a void in the equine medial femoral condyle on bone stresses and peak contact pressures in a finite element model. Vet Surg 2019;48:237-246.
  14. Hendrix SM, Baxter GM, McIlwraith CW. Concurrent or sequential development of medial meniscal and subchondral cystic lesions within the medial femorotibial joint in horses (1996-2006). Equine Vet J 2012;42:5-9.
  15. Smith MA, Walmsley JP, Phillips TJ. Effect of age at presentation on outcome following arthroscopic debridement of subchondral cystic lesions of the medial femoral condyle: 85 horses (1993-2003). Equine Vet J 2005;37:175-180.
  16. Whitman JA, Morehead JP, Prichard MA, Hance SJ, Keuler NS, Santschi EM. Radiographic lucencies in the medial femoral condyle of Thoroughbred yearlings; the effect on race records. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract 2006;52:416-419.
  17. Santschi EM, Prichard MA, Whitman JL. Formation and prevalence of radiographic abnormalities of the medial femoral condyle in Thoroughbred horses from 6 to 20 months of age. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract 2016;62:407-413.
  18. Howard RD, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW. Arthroscopic surgery for subchondral cystic lesions of the medial femoral condyle in horses: 41 cases. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1995;206:842-850.
  19. McCoy AM, Smith RL, Herrara CE, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich L. Long-term outcome after stifle arthroscopy in 82 Western performance horses (2003-2010). Vet Surg 2019;48:956-965.

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Moreno CR, Santschi EM, Janes J, Liu J, Kim DG, Litsky AS. Compression generated by cortical screws in an artificial bone model of an equine medial femoral condylar cyst.. Vet Surg 2022 Jul;51(5):833-842.
    doi: 10.1111/vsu.13814pubmed: 35394080google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,383 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.