Tull T M, Woodie J B, Ruggles A J, Reimer J R, Embertson R M, Hopper S A, Bramlage L R
Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, PO Box 12070, 2150 Georgetown Road, Lexington, Kentucky 40580, USA.
Equine Vet J. 2009 Jul;41(6):541-6. doi: 10.2746/042516409x407657.
Few studies have evaluated the athletic prognosis of foals affected by gastrocnemius disruption.
To examine the diagnosis and management of gastrocnemius disruption in Thoroughbred (TB) foals, determine short-term survival rate and assess future racing performance. The hypothesis was that Thoroughbred foals with gastrocnemius disruption are able to perform as racehorses comparably to their age matched maternal siblings.
The medical records of foals diagnosed with gastrocnemius muscle disruption were reviewed. Information on training and racing was acquired from published works and race records. Paired t tests were utilised to compare performance variables of affected racehorses to their maternal siblings in starts, earnings and earnings/start for their 2- and 3-year-old racing seasons. Fisher's exact tests were employed to determine the association between sex, limb affected, age on admission, degree of caudal reciprocal apparatus dysfunction, concurrent disease, antibiotic therapy, complications, abscess formation and likelihood of entering training or starting a race.
Sample size was too small to detect significant differences in performance variables between affected horses and controls. Of 28 foals, 17 (61%) presented with concomitant illness; foals without concurrent disease were more likely to achieve race training or start a race (P = 0.04); 23 (82%) were short-term survivors defined as survival to discharge. Of these 23 survivors, 7 were aged <2 years at the time of the study. Eighty-one percent (13/16) of the survivors that were of racing age were in training or had started a race.
In this population, 82% of TB foals affected with gastrocnemius disruption were able to achieve training or start a race. Foals presenting for gastrocnemius disruption have a high prevalence of concurrent disease processes.
The assessment of athletic prognosis and treatment complications provides useful information to clinicians treating gastrocnemius muscle disruption in foals and making recommendations to clientele.
很少有研究评估受腓肠肌断裂影响的马驹的运动预后。
研究纯种马驹腓肠肌断裂的诊断与处理，确定短期存活率并评估未来的比赛表现。假设是患有腓肠肌断裂的纯种马驹能够像与其年龄匹配的同母同胞一样成为赛马。
回顾诊断为腓肠肌断裂的马驹的病历。从已发表的著作和比赛记录中获取训练和比赛信息。采用配对t检验比较受影响赛马与其同母同胞在2岁和3岁比赛赛季的起跑次数、收入以及每次起跑收入等表现变量。采用Fisher精确检验确定性别、受影响肢体、入院年龄、尾侧交互装置功能障碍程度、并发疾病、抗生素治疗、并发症、脓肿形成与进入训练或开始比赛可能性之间的关联。
样本量过小，无法检测出受影响马匹与对照组在表现变量上的显著差异。28匹小马驹中，17匹（61%）伴有其他疾病；无并发疾病的马驹更有可能接受比赛训练或开始比赛（P = 0.04）；23匹（82%）为短期存活者，定义为存活至出院。在这23名存活者中，7匹在研究时年龄小于2岁。81%（13/16）达到比赛年龄的存活者正在接受训练或已经开始比赛。
在该群体中，82%受腓肠肌断裂影响的纯种马驹能够接受训练或开始比赛。因腓肠肌断裂就诊的马驹并发疾病的发生率很高。
对运动预后和治疗并发症的评估为治疗马驹腓肠肌断裂并向客户提供建议的临床医生提供了有用信息。
