A retrospective study on 195 horses with contaminated and infected synovial cavities

Abstract

This study analyzes the clinical aspects of contaminated and infected synovial cavities in horses and eva- luates their prognosis after treatment. The medical records of 195 affected horses referred between June 1999 and July 2004 were reviewed. Twenty-six horses were euthanized or returned home without further treat- ment. Therapeutic strategies for the remaining 169 horses were not different from those reported in other re- cent studies, except that lavage was performed predominantly without endoscopic visualization. Follow-up was obtained by questionnaire for 150 of 169 treated horses. The outcome was considered successful (survival wit- hout residual lameness) in 109 of 150 horses (72.7%). Iatrogenic synovial infection, the presence of radiogra- phic signs on admission and the use of regional antibiotic perfusion were significantly related with non-successful outcome. Overall, the outcome in the present study appeared to be slightly less favorable com- pared to other recent reports, although it certainly improved for horses with deep nail puncture wounds.