Surgical treatment of septic arthritis of proximal joints and treatment of bone sequestra in cattle

Abstract

Septic arthritis is a common cause of severe lameness in cattle, most commonly the distal interphalangeal joint is involved. Septic arthritis of proximal joints (fetlock, carpal, tarsal, stifle etc.) in cattle had been reported on a much lower frequency. Septic arthritis is caused by direct inoculation of bacteria into the joint (primary infection) or from spread of periarticular infection (secondary infection) or by haematogenous spread. Traumatic arthritis is not as common as septic arthritis and involves predominantly the larger proximal joints. Up to now, the diagnosis of bovine arthritis has been based on careful clinical examination, radiography, arthrocentesis and macroscopic, cytological and microbiological examination of the synovial sample.However, during the last 20 years, ultrasonography has proved to be of paramount importance for soft tissue differentiation in bovine orthopedics, adding important information to the clinical findings.