TREATMENT OF ACUTE SUPERFICIAL DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON INJURY IN HORSESWITH POLYSULFATED GLYCOSAMINOGLYCAN

Horses with acute injuries of the superficial digital flexor tendon we re treated with a course of seven intramuscular injections of 500 mg o f polysulphated glycosaminoglycan at four-day intervals, Clinical asse ssments of the lesions were made by a veterinary surgeon at the time o f each injection and 14 and 28 days after the last injection. A total of 150 courses of the drug were administered and adequately completed assessment forms were returned for 80 cases, Long-term follow-up data were obtained for 19 cases. The subjective assessments by the veterina ry surgeons showed that in 80 per cent of cases the drug was felt to b e of value in the treatment of acute tendon injury.