Osteochondritis in a thoroughbred foal

Authors: Wiseman P
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 23, Issue 4, pp 65-68, Apr 1975
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Horse, Livestock
Subject Terms: Skeletal/bone/cartilage, Locomotor, Pathology, Disease/defect
Article class: Clinical Communication

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Abstract: Osteochondritis is an avascular necrosis of bone which occurs in the epiphyses of the immature animal. There are reports of this disease occurring at various sites in man (Aegerter and Kirkpatrick, 1968), in the dog (Clayton-Jones and Vaughan, 1970; Robins, 1970), and in the horse (Adams, 1966). In man it most commonly occurs in the medial condyle of the femur (Aegerter and Kirkpatrick, 1968) but in the dog the proximal humeral epiphysis is most commonly affected (Griffiths, 1968). I have seen no records of the incidence of osteochondritis in the various epiphyses of the horse but there are reports of its occurring in the distal epiphysis of the femur, within the carpal and tarsal bones, in the distal epiphysis of the metacarpal bone, in the cervical vertebrae, and in the proximal humeral epiphyses (Schebitz and Schulz, 1965; Adams, 1966; Rooney, 1969; Van Pelt et al 1970; Morgan, 1972; Raker et al 1973).

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