EVALUATION OF THE CATHETERIZATION OF THE CARPAL JOINT AND THE REPEATED INTRARTICULAR INJECTION IN DONKEY

Twelve adult donkeys with clinically normal carpal joints were used in this study. The animals were divided into 2 groups (each of 6 donk eys). In group, 1:2.5 cm long catheter & 0.8 mm in diameter was placed percutaneously into the palmarolateral pouch of the joint. The catheter was fixed in place with adhesive tape. While in group, 2: The carpal joint was exposed to repeated needle puncture. The donkeys were euth anized at 24, 48 and 72 hours postoperatively. Macroscopic and microsco pic examinations were performed on the dorsal portion of the joint capsule and the palmarolateral pouch of the catheterized and non catheterized joints in the case of repeated intra-articular injection of the joint).
Gross examination of the synovial fluid proved that it was yellow and clear at all times of the catheterized joint, while the same result was obtained at the first two times in case of using needle puncture but
the following samples were mixed with blood. The presence of this blood could be probably attributed to rupture of subsynovial capillaries when synovial villi were traumatized by needle puncture. The degree of the inflammatory reaction was minimal when using catheterization.
In could be concluded that catheterization of the joint was for easy and atraumatic serial acquisition of synovial fluid specimens from the same joint over several hours with minimal synovial irritation and blood contamination of the specimens.