Treatment of olecranon bursitis in horses: 10 cases (1986-1993).

This article studies the treatment of olecranon bursitis, a condition in horses involving inflammation of the bursa on the elbow point, in 10 horse cases from 1986 to 1993. The research focuses on the evaluation of different treatments and their outcomes, with special attention given to a technique called en bloc resection where the inflamed bursa is completely removed.

Pre-hospitalization Treatments

• Before the horses were admitted, 6 out of the 10 had been treated using needle aspiration, which involves removing fluid from the swelling, followed by an injection of corticosteroids to reduce the bursa inflammation.
• Two of these six horses received additional treatment involving open drainage, where an incision is made to drain fluid, and packing of the cavity with gauze soaked in a 7% iodine solution. This method aims to reduce swelling and speed up healing.
• None of the horses experienced complete recovery from these pre-admission treatments.

Post-hospitalization Treatments

• Upon hospital admission, the horses were split into two treatment groups – 5 were treated medically while the remaining 5 underwent surgical en bloc resections.
• One of the horses that had received an intralesional injection of a radionuclide, a radioactive substance used to treat inflammation, was lost to follow-up and therefore outcome data is missing for this case.
• Two horses showed a resolution of olecranon bursitis – one treated with traditional open drainage and packing and one treated with a radionuclide injection. However, only one of these two horses had a satisfactory cosmetic result.
• The affected bursae decreased in size in two horses (one treated with a corticosteroid and one with orgotein, a drug used to treat osteoarthritis), but their bursae remained visible 7 and 46 months after treatment, respectively.

Surgery Outcomes

• The surgery site in four horses who underwent en bloc resection healed by primary intention, meaning the wound closed properly without complications, and the owners were pleased with the cosmetic results.
• In one horse, the suture line reopened 5 days after surgery. Proliferative granulation tissue, which is part of the healing process, was removed on two instances, and the site eventually healed by second intention, a scarring recovery process, after 2 months. This horse was left with a small knot and some white hair at the surgery site.