Severity, Distribution and Postoperative Therapy are not Predictors of Return to Work in Western Performance Horses with Stifle Chondromalacia

Introduction: Chondromalacia of the stifle has been historically reported to negatively impact the ability to return to performance, however this information for western performance horses specifically is lacking.

Materials and Methods: Retrospective case series; western performance horses (n = 34) with lameness localized to the stifle that underwent subsequent arthroscopy for which chondromalacia was considered the most significant diagnosis. Case details, postoperative therapy and follow-up information was gathered from medical records, owner and/or trainer. Chondromalacia was surgeon-graded as slight, mild, moderate or marked. The three categories of postoperative intra-articular therapy evaluated included none, bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells or equine amniotic allograft product. Outcome was defined as returning to previous level of work on a numeric scale (0–10). Spearman correlation test was used to determine correlations and the chi squared test was used to assess associations. A P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The severity of stifle chondromalacia and its focal versus diffuse distribution identified arthroscopically was not significantly associated with the ability to return to work (P>0.05). Additionally, the type of postoperative intra-articular therapy did not have any correlation or association with the horse returning to work (P>0.05).

Discussion/Conclusion: Compared with previously published reports, this study demonstrated a 74% (more favorable) prognosis for returning to some level of athletic work, despite only 44% of horses returning to their previous level of performance. A statistically significant correlation between severity, distribution or subsequent postoperative therapy for stifle chondromalacia and the ability to return to work was not observed.

Acknowledgment:

There was no proprietary interest or funding provided for this project. The authors thank all of the following Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons that operated cases in this report: David Frisbie, Brent Hague, Jeff Brakenhoff, Lauren Lamb, Michael Major and Chad Zubrod. The authors also thank all of the referring veterinarians who contributed cases to this report. The authors have adhered to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA and have no conflicts of interest.

Publication History

Article published online:
09 April 2024