Electrohydraulic lithotripsy in a 13-year-old Warmblood mare

Elektrohydraulische Lithotripsie bei einer 13-jährigen Warmblutstute

Harnacke P, Steinberg T

DOI: 10.21836/PEM20120111
Year: 2012
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Pages: 53-56

This case report deals with electrohydraulic shockwave lithotripsy of a calciumcarbonate cystic calculus of about 260 g weight in a 13-year-old mare. Urolithiasis is by comparison to other species a rare phenomenon in horses. It is predominantly observed in male animals (especially in geldings) and different methods of lithotripsy are proposed. Cystic calculi in the mare are regularly removed manually through the markedly distensible urethra. Overexpansion of the urethral sphincter might result in urinary incontinence, therefore it is recommended to incise the dorsal part of the sphincter and attend to it surgically when it comes to very large uroliths. Referring to this case, electrohydraulic lithotripsy with the mare sedated and after epidural anesthesia was performed to avoid the surgical intervention mentioned above. Total removal of the calculus took 5 sessions and overall 7.5 hours. It turns out that electrohydraulic shockwave therapy is a safe but also time-consuming procedure to treat urolithiasis in mares.