Septic Arthritis/Physitis Flashcards
What are naturally occurring causes of septic arthritis/physitis?
Hematogenous, traumatic
What age is hematogenous septic arthritis/physitis more common?
Foals
What are iatrogenic causes of septic arthritis/physitis?
Arthoscopy/centesis, fracture repair
What infectious cause is most commonly the cause of septic arthritis/physitis?
Bacterial
What is joint effusion a response to?
Pain
What are components of septic arthritis/physitis pathogenesis?
Decreased HA synthesis, loss of PG, compromised synovial blood flow, irregular cartilage
How often should you evaluate a septic foal to make sure its joints are ok?
At least 4x/day
What are types of septic arthritis in foals?
Synovial, epiphyseal, physeal
Foals <1wk exhibit acute severe lameness and effusion of the stifle and tibiotarsal (multiple joints common)
Synovial arthritis
Involves the synovial membrane and synovial fluid and requires a synovial sample for dx
Synovial arthritis
Bone adjacent to articular cartilage
Epiphysis
What will you see on rads of an epiphyseal arthritis?
Subchondral lysis
Foals a few weeks old exhibit mild lameness and fever prior to an acute exacerbation of lameness and effusion in multiple joints
Epiphyseal arthritis
What joints are most commonly affected by synovial arthritis?
Stifle and tibiotarsal
What joints are most commonly affected by epiphyseal arthritis?
Distal femur, talus, tibia, radius
What must you ddx epiphyseal arthritis from?
FPT, pneumonia, diarrhea
Affects the physis of long bones with or without joint involvement
Physeal arthritis
Seemingly healthy foal weeks-months old with premonitory lameness prior to acute severe lameness and swelling at only one site
Physeal arthritis
Periarticular swelling usually occurs w/o effusion
Physeal athritis
What joints are most commonly affected by physeal arthritis?
Distal MC3/MT3, radius, tibia
How do you dx physeal arthrtisis?
Rads, aspirate of physis, bone biopsy
What happens if you try to debride a joint affected by phyesal arthritis?
Damage physis = premature closure
Which types of foal arthritis are similar?
Synovial and epiphyseal
What synovial fluid analysis parameters will indicate septic arthritis?
> 50k cell count, >90% PMNs
What bloodwork parameters will indicate septic arthritis?
> 900 fibrinogen +/- leukocytosis
How will synovial fluid appear on US w/septic arthritis?
Hypercellular
What is the px for survival in a foal with septic arthrits?
77%
What area other than the joints should you US on a foal w/septic arthritis?
Umbilicus
What are iatrogenic risk factors for septic arthritis in an adult horse?
Synovial sx, fx repair, arthrocentesis
What bacteria usually causes septic arthritis after an arthrocentesis in an adult horse?
Staph spp.