TREATMENT OF OLECRANON BURSITIS IN HORSES - 10 CASES (1986-1993)

Medical records qi to horses with olecranon bursitis were reviewed to examine treatments, evaluate a technique for en bloc resection of the bursa in standing houses, and determine outcome of the horses after tr eatment. Before admission, 6 horses had been treated by needle aspirat ion of fluid jr om the mass, followed by injection of corticosteroids. Subsequent treatment for 2 of these 6 houses included open drainage a nd packing of the cavity with gauze soaked in 7% iodine solution. None resolved after these treatments. After admission to the hospital, 5 h ouses were treated medically and 5 were treated by en bloc resection o f the bursa. One house that had received intralesional injection of a radionuclide was lost to follow-up evaluation. One horse treated conse rvatively by open drainage and I?aching and 1 treated by injection of a radionuclide had resolution of the olecranon bursitis. Only 1 of the se 2 hones had a cosmetic result. The acquired bursae decreased in siz e in 2 horses (1 treated with a corticosteroid and 1 with orgotein), b ut were still visible 7 and 46 months after treatment, respectively. T he surgery site of 4 houses that were treated by en bloc resection hea led by primary intention, and the owners of these houses were pleased with the cosmetic results. The suture line of 1 house dehisced 5 days after surgery. Proliferative granulation tissue was removed on 2 occas ions, and the sire healed by second intention after 2 months. A small knot and some white hair remained at the surgery site.