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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1389798

Determinants of joint effusion in tarsocrural osteochondrosis of yearling Standardbred horses

Provisionally accepted
Andrea Bertuglia Andrea Bertuglia 1,2*Marcello Pallante Marcello Pallante 3Eleonora Pagliara Eleonora Pagliara 2Daniela Valle Daniela Valle 2Lara Bergamini Lara Bergamini 4Enrico Bollo Enrico Bollo 2Michela Bullone Michela Bullone 2Barbara Riccio Barbara Riccio 2
  • 1 University of Turin, Turin, Italy
  • 2 Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Piedmont, Italy
  • 3 Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
  • 4 Le Fontanette breeding farm (SRL), Vigone, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Standardbreds, with different fragment localization and size. Clinically, it is characterized by variable synovial effusion in the absence of lameness, whose determinants are ill-defined. We hypothesised that localization and physical characteristics of the osteochondral fragments like dimensions, multifragmentation, and instability influence joint effusion and correlate with synovial markers of cartilage degradation and inflammation. Clinical data, synovial fluid and intact osteochondral fragments were collected from 79 Standardbred horses, aged between 12 to 18 months, operated for tarsocrural OCD. The severity of tarsocrural joint effusion was assessed semiquantitatively. The osteochondral fragment site was defined radiographically at the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia (DIRT), medial malleolus (MM) of the tibia, and/or lateral trochlear ridge (LTR) of the talus. Size, stability, and arthroscopic appearance (unique or multi-fragmented aspect) of the fragments were determined intraoperatively. Synovial concentrations of C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were quantified. Tarsocrural synovial effusion was significantly affected by localization and stability of the fragments, with MM-located and unstable fragments being associated with highest joint effusion. Concentrations of CTX-II, LTB4, and PGE2 positively correlated with the severity of synovial effusion. This study underlines characteristics of the osteochondral fragments determining higher synovial effusion in OCD-affected tarsocrural joints and suggests both inflammation and extra-cellular matrix degradation are active processes in OCD pathology.

    Keywords: Distal Intermediate Ridge of the Tibia, Medial malleolus, Lateral Trochlear Ridge, Osteochondrosis, Tarsocrural joint, C-Terminal Cross-Linked Telopeptides of Type II Collagen, Leukotriene B4, Prostaglandin E2

    Received: 22 Feb 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bertuglia, Pallante, Pagliara, Valle, Bergamini, Bollo, Bullone and Riccio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Andrea Bertuglia, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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