Use of intra-articular administration of ethyl alcohol for arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal joint in healthy horses.

The research article investigates the effects of ethyl alcohol in triggering the fusion, or arthrodesis, of the tarsometatarsal joints in horses as a potential treatment for osteoarthritis. The experiment involved the use of different concentrations of ethyl alcohol and evaluations over a yearlong period.

Methods Employed

The researchers conducted the study on healthy female horses that had no signs of lameness or radiographic evidence of tarsal joint osteoarthritis. They used a carefully planned protocol:

• Each horse was administered with 4 mL of 70% ethyl alcohol in one tarsometatarsal joint and 4 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol in the opposite joint.
• Daily lameness examinations were carried out for the first two weeks after the procedure, then monthly check-ups were done throughout the yearlong study.
• Radiographic evaluations were conducted one month post-injection and afterward three-monthly to monitor the progress of the joint fusion.
• At the end of the study, gross and histologic examinations were performed on the tarsi of the horses.

Results

The research yielded significant results:

• Contrary to the common expectation of pain resulting from such an intervention, the horses demonstrated minimal to non-existent lameness linked to the alcohol treatments.
• Radiography images showed that half of the joints had undergone fusion by four months after the procedure, with most of the successful cases coming from the group treated with the 70% concentration ethyl alcohol.
• Post-mortem examination at the end of the study found that 15 out of the 16 joints were considered fused. Microscopic examination revealed mature osteonal bone development across the joint spaces, suggesting successful arthrodesis.
• The bone fusion appeared primarily concentrated on the dorsolateral, centrolateral, and plantarolateral aspects of the joints.
• There were no significant distinctions found between the treatment groups concerning lameness or any pathologic findings.

Conclusion

The study concluded that the administration of ethyl alcohol into the tarsometatarsal joint of healthy horses seemed to encourage joint fusion in an essentially pain-free manner. The promising results from this initial study set a good precedent for further research into the potential of applying this method of treatment in horses clinically afflicted with osteoarthritis of the tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints.