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Traumatic brain injury in horses: 34 cases (1994-2004).
Abstract: To investigate the clinical, clinicopathologic, and diagnostic characteristics; treatment; and outcome associated with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) in horses and assess risk factors for nonsurvival in TBI-affected horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 34 horses with TBI. Procedures-Medical records of horses that had sustained trauma to the head and developed neurologic signs were reviewed. Data that included signalment, clinicopathologic findings, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome were analyzed. Clinicopathologic variables among horses in survivor and nonsurvivor groups were compared, and risk factors for nonsurvival were determined. Results: Median age of affected horses was 12 months. Findings of conventional survey radiography of the head alone failed to identify all horses with fractures of the calvarium. Horses with basilar bone fractures were 7.5 times as likely not to survive as horses without this type of fracture. Depending on clinical signs, horses received supportive care, osmotic or diuretic treatments, antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, or anticonvulsants. Twenty-one (62%) horses survived to discharge from the hospital. In the nonsurvivor group, mean PCV was significantly higher, compared with the value in the survivor group (40% vs 33%). Risk factors associated with nonsurvival included recumbency of more than 4 hours' duration after initial evaluation (odds ratio, 18) and fracture of the basilar bone (odds ratio, 7.5). Conclusions: Results suggest that prognosis for survival in horses with acute TBI may be more favorable than previously reported. Among horses with TBI, persistent recumbency and fractures involving the basilar bones were associated with a poor prognosis.
Publication Date: 2007-07-17 PubMed ID: 17630894DOI: 10.2460/javma.231.2.259Google 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.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The study investigates the factors affecting survival rates in horses after they suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), focusing on 34 cases from a ten-year period (1994-2004). According to the results, the most significant risk factors for non-survival include severe fractures of basilar bones, the horses’ inability to stand more than four hours following the trauma, and higher than normal packed cell volume (PCV) measurements.
Research Methodology
- The research is based on a retrospective case series approach involving 34 horses with acute TBI sustained due to head trauma.
- The researchers reviewed medical records for these horses, specifically focusing on demographics, clinicopathologic findings, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.
- The variables were compared between surviving and non-surviving horses to determine risk factors for non-survival.
Observations and Results
- The median age of the affected horses in this study was 12 months.
- Not all fractures of the calvarium, or the upper, domed part of the skull, were identifiable via traditional survey radiography alone.
- Horses suffering fractures to the basilar bones, located at the base of the skull, were 7.5 times more likely to not survive when compared to those without such fractures.
- Horses received a range of treatments based on their clinical signs, which included supportive care, osmotic/diuretic treatments, antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, and anticonvulsants.
- Out of the 34 horses studied, 21 (approx. 62%) survived and were discharged from the hospital.
- Regarding risk factors, horses that remained in a recumbent (lying down) state for over 4 hours after initial trauma were 18 times more likely to not survive. Also, the presence of a basilar bone fracture increased the odds of non-survival by 7.5 times.
- Horses that didn’t survive had a significantly higher mean PCV measurement of 40% compared to a 33% PCV measurement in surviving horses. PCV is a blood test that measures the volume percentage of red blood cells in the blood.
Conclusions
- The survival prognosis for horses with acute TBI could be more favorable than earlier believed, as indicated by the relatively high survival rate observed in this study.
- Persistent recumbency and fractures involving basilar bones were strongly associated with poor prognosis among horses suffering acute TBI.
Cite This Article
APA
Feary DJ, Magdesian KG, Aleman MA, Rhodes DM.
(2007).
Traumatic brain injury in horses: 34 cases (1994-2004).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 231(2), 259-266.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.231.2.259 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Brain Injuries / complications
- Brain Injuries / diagnosis
- Brain Injuries / mortality
- Brain Injuries / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horses / injuries
- Male
- Occipital Bone / injuries
- Odds Ratio
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Survival Analysis
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Aleman MR, True A, Scalco R, Crowe CM, Costa LRR, Chigerwe M. Gentamicin-induced sensorineural auditory loss in healthy adult horses. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Sep;35(5):2486-2494.
- Martin-Giménez T, Cruz AM, Barragán A, Montero E, Sanchez PG, Caballero G, Corradini I. Delayed onset vagus nerve paralysis after occipital condyle fracture in a horse. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2780-2785.
- Madigan J, Costa L, Nieves S, Horgan M, Weberg K, Aleman M. Evaluation of a Simplified Loops System for Emergency Rescue Lifting of the Stranded or Recumbent Horse. Animals (Basel) 2019 Jul 31;9(8).
- Chigerwe M, Aleman M. Seizure Disorders in Goats and Sheep. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1752-1757.
- Rigoglio NN, Barreto RS, Favaron PO, Jacob JC, Smith LC, Gastal MO, Gastal EL, Miglino MA. Central Nervous System and Vertebrae Development in Horses: a Chronological Study with Differential Temporal Expression of Nestin and GFAP. J Mol Neurosci 2017 Jan;61(1):61-78.
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