Summary
Hyaluronate (HA) was administered by intra-articular injection to a 13-year-old Haflinger
mare for treatment of metacarpophalangeal osteoarthritis. Ten hours after the injection,
a severe inflammatory reaction developed in the treated joint. While awaiting results
of synovial fluid analysis, treatment for iatrogenic infectious arthritis was initiated,
but the analysis did not confirm sepsis. Clinical signs improved significantly following
systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and the horse was discharged three
days later. Following an intravenous hyaluronate injection, four days after discharge,
the synovitis recurred. Synovial fluid analysis did not show any abnormalities, but
the clinical signs were severe. The severe acute inflammatory reaction required systemic
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and intra-articular corticosteroid treatment in order
to resolve the problem.
Keywords
Horse - SAIR - joint - arthritis - hyaluronate