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Updated: May 17, 2026
Synovial Fluid Analysis to Identify Osteoarthritis
Published on: October 20, 2022
Synovial fluid D-dimer concentration in horses with osteochondritis dissecans and osteoarthritis
T Ribera1, L Monreal, M A Delgado
1Servei de Cirurgia Equina, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Thais.Ribera@uab.cat
Objective:
To assess the synovial fibrinolytic pathway activation in adult horses with developmental and degenerative arthropathies such as osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and osteoarthritis (OA) by measuring synovial D-dimer concentrations.
Methods:
Prospective observational clinical study of horses admitted for OCD or OA. Synovial fluid was collected during lameness examination or prior to the surgical procedure, and D-dimer concentration and routine synovial fluid analysis were performed.
Results:
Fifty-eight horses (14 with OCD, 10 with OA and 34 controls) were included in this study. Synovial D-dimer concentrations of horses with OCD and OA were both higher when compared with controls, but were only significantly different in horses with OCD (p = 0.005). However, no statistical differences were observed when comparing synovial D-dimer concentrations from the OCD horses with the OA-affected horses (p = 0.444).
Clinical Significance:
Activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis play a role in the pathophysiology of equine OCD and OA.
