Surgical management of postcastration spermatic cord stump infection in horses: A retrospective study of 23 cases

To report the surgical management and the short- and long-term follow-up of postcastration spermatic cord infection in horses.

Retrospective case series.

Twenty-three client-owned horses.

Medical records (2001-2017) of horses that had been surgically treated for spermatic cord stump infection after castration were reviewed. Time from castration to presentation, diagnostic procedures, surgical complications, bacterial culture and ancillary testing, and survival to discharge were collected. Long-term follow-up was obtained by owner survey when possible. Descriptive statistics were used to report results.

Horses ranged in age from 2 to 14 years (mean age 4.1) and presented 33 days (median; range, 12-3561) after castration. Five of 23 horses required revision surgery because of hemorrhage (2) or persistent infection (3). All horses survived to discharge. Long-term follow up was available for 16 horses at a mean time of 27.4 months postsurgery (range 6-135). Complete resolution of clinical signs and return to previous use was documented in 14 of 16 horses; 1 horse had persistent purulent drainage and a second horse was retired because he did not return to adequate performance.

Postcastration infection of the spermatic cord had a favorable prognosis for short- and long-term survival in this population, although complications included postoperative hemorrhage and persistent infection.

This study describes the treatment of postcastration infection of the spermatic cord which results in a good survival rate.