Urethral defects in geldings with hematuria and stallions with hemospermia.

This research article investigates urethral defects causing blood in the urine of geldings, and blood in semen of stallions, and examines the various methods of treatment used on these horses. The cause of this defect remains unidentified.

Identification of the Problem

• Seven geldings (castrated male horses) presented with hematuria, a condition characterized by the presence of blood in urine. This was observed typically towards the end of their urination.
• Three stallions were found to have hemospermia, a condition where blood is found in semen. Unlike in the geldings, these stallions did not present any signs of hematuria.

Location of the Defect and Methods of Diagnosis

• The specific fault lies in the urethra of the horses, communicating with the corpus spongiosum penis, a sponge-like region of erectile tissue containing most of the blood in the penis during erection.
• This defect was identified using an endoscopic examination, a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract. The defects were all found on the convex surface of the urethra, near the ischial arch (a bone in the lower part) of the horses.
• The actual cause of this defect remains unknown.

Treatment and Efficacy

• Among the stallions, two were successfully treated for hemospermia. One stallion underwent a temporary subischial urethrostomy (a surgical procedure creating a new opening in the urethra) and given a break from sexual activity for 10 weeks, and the other was treated with sexual rest alone for a period of 6 months.
• The third stallion unfortunately continued to present hemospermia 6 weeks post-urethrostomy.
• For the geldings, six were treated for hematuria via a temporary subischial urethrostomy, while one underwent a subischial incision that extended into the corpus spongiosum penis, however, it did not reach the lumen (interior space) of the urethra.
• The success rate of the subischial urethrostomy treatment method for hemospermia in stallions was hard to conclusively determine due to the small sample size of treated horses. That is, the sample size was too small to draw a statistically significant conclusion.
• However, in geldings, this surgical procedure successfully eliminated hematuria, presumably by reducing the vascular pressure in the corpus spongiosum penis during urination, thereby allowing the urethral defect to heal.