Autologous platelet concentrates as a treatment for musculoskeletal lesions in five horses.
Authors: Argüelles D, Carmona J U, Climent F, Muñoz E, Prades M
Journal: The Veterinary record
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Autologous Platelet Concentrates for Equine Soft Tissue Injury This small case series examined whether injecting a horse's own concentrated platelets directly into damaged tendons and ligaments could promote healing, treating two cases of acute superficial digital flexor tendinopathy and three cases of chronic proximal suspensory ligament desmitis. Ultrasonographic assessment combined with clinical lameness evaluation tracked tissue changes over the treatment and recovery period. The acute SDFT cases showed measurable structural improvements on ultrasound alongside clinical soundness gains, whilst the chronic suspensory ligament cases yielded no detectable ultrasonographic changes despite clear reductions in lameness and improved function. Most notably, all five horses achieved full return to pre-injury performance within six months and remained sound with no recurrence at the 20-month follow-up point. Although the sample size is small and the mechanism of improvement in PDSL cases remains unclear—particularly where ultrasound failed to document tissue remodelling—the sustained performance recovery warrants further investigation into autologous platelet concentrates as a complementary treatment, especially given the generally guarded prognosis associated with suspensory ligament injuries in sport horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Autologous platelet concentrates may be effective for acute SDFT tendinopathy, with visible ultrasonographic healing and functional recovery
- •Clinical improvement can occur in chronic suspensory ligament desmitis even without visible ultrasonographic changes, suggesting tissue remodeling may precede imaging evidence
- •Long-term outcome at 20 months with no recurrence supports consideration of this treatment for musculoskeletal lesions in performance horses
Key Findings
- •Two horses with acute SDFT showed significant ultrasonographic and clinical improvement after autologous platelet concentrate injection
- •Three horses with chronic PDSL showed clinical improvement and reduced lameness but no ultrasonographic changes
- •All five horses returned to pre-injury performance levels by six months post-treatment
- •No recurrence of lesions was observed in any horse at 20-month follow-up