Successful PRP and fibrin glue application on a clinical case in an equine

Abstract

Distal limb wounds and joint fractures are very frequent in sport horses. Regenerative medicine is an emerging field that uses alternative methods for healing injuries that are difficult to solve with conventional treatment. Fibrin glue (FG) patches have been used for skin wound repair and platelet rich plasma (PRP) to heal musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of regenerative medicine therapies in a joint and skin injure on a racehorse. A female thoroughbred horse had a slab fracture in carpal III bone of the right forelimb and a 54-cm2 wound in the metatarsal region of the left hind limb. PRP was applied into the intercarpal joint by arthrocentesis. Three applications (once per week) of FG were performed on the wound. A month after PRP application, the horse showed no lameness, pain or joint swelling. Radiographs showed a consolidated fracture with bone remodeling. As to the wound, after the third FG (3 weeks), its surface was reduced two-thirds of the original size and 8 weeks later, it achieved full resolution.