Surgical management of postcastration spermatic cord stump infection in horses: A retrospective study of 23 cases.
Abstract: To report the surgical management and the short- and long-term follow-up of postcastration spermatic cord infection in horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Twenty-three client-owned horses. Methods: Medical records (2001-2017) of horses that had been surgically treated for spermatic cord stump infection after castration were reviewed. Time from castration to presentation, diagnostic procedures, surgical complications, bacterial culture and ancillary testing, and survival to discharge were collected. Long-term follow-up was obtained by owner survey when possible. Descriptive statistics were used to report results. Results: Horses ranged in age from 2 to 14 years (mean age 4.1) and presented 33 days (median; range, 12-3561) after castration. Five of 23 horses required revision surgery because of hemorrhage (2) or persistent infection (3). All horses survived to discharge. Long-term follow up was available for 16 horses at a mean time of 27.4 months postsurgery (range 6-135). Complete resolution of clinical signs and return to previous use was documented in 14 of 16 horses; 1 horse had persistent purulent drainage and a second horse was retired because he did not return to adequate performance. Conclusions: Postcastration infection of the spermatic cord had a favorable prognosis for short- and long-term survival in this population, although complications included postoperative hemorrhage and persistent infection. Conclusions: This study describes the treatment of postcastration infection of the spermatic cord which results in a good survival rate.
© 2018 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Publication Date: 2018-09-28 PubMed ID: 30267429DOI: 10.1111/vsu.12954Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article is a retrospective study about the surgical treatment and subsequent follow-up of horses that had infection in the spermatic cord stump after going through castration.
Objective
The objective of the research was to report on the surgical management of infected spermatic cord stumps in horses following castration. The study also focused on the short and long-term outcomes for the horses involved.
Methods
- The study examined 23 cases of client-owned horses that underwent treatment for this specific condition. These cases were gathered from medical records spanning from 2001 to 2017.
- Information relating to the time from castration to presentation, the diagnostics used, surgical complications, bacterial cultures, and other associated tests was collected and studied.
- The survival rate of the horses up to discharge was also recorded.
- Long-term follow-up information was obtained through owner surveys whenever it was possible to do so.
Results
- It was discovered that the horses involved in the study were aged between 2 and 14 years (with an average age of 4.1 years). They presented with the infection an average of 33 days following castration.
- Five out of the 23 total horses required additional surgery due to bleeding (2 horses) or ongoing infection (3 horses).
- All 23 horses were alive at the point of discharge.
- Long-term follow-up data was available for 16 horses, approximately 27.4 months after surgery. Complete resolution of clinical signs was found in 14 out of these 16 horses, with one exhibiting continuous drainage of pus, while another was retired due to inadequate performance.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that the infection of the spermatic cord stump post-castration in horses generally has a positive prognosis in terms of short and long-term survival, despite the potential complications such as postoperative bleeding or sustained infection.
- The research report provides valuable insights into the treatment of this condition that could help improve its management in the future.
Cite This Article
APA
Claffey EF, Brust K, Hackett RP, Fubini S.
(2018).
Surgical management of postcastration spermatic cord stump infection in horses: A retrospective study of 23 cases.
Vet Surg, 47(8), 1016-1020.
https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12954 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Ithaca, New York.
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Ithaca, New York.
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Ithaca, New York.
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Ithaca, New York.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horses / surgery
- Male
- Medical Records
- New York
- Orchiectomy / adverse effects
- Orchiectomy / veterinary
- Postoperative Complications / mortality
- Postoperative Complications / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Spermatic Cord / surgery
- Surgical Wound Infection / etiology
- Surgical Wound Infection / mortality
- Surgical Wound Infection / veterinary
- Survival Rate
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Wright S. Highlights of recent clinically relevant papers.. Equine Vet Educ 2019 Mar;31(3):114-115.
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