Abstract
Thirty seven cases of bursitis presented to our Veterinary
Teaching Hospital from 2001 to 2005. There were 10 adult
female buffalos with olecranon bursitis (one had bilateral
bursitis) and 26 calves (7 cattle and 19 buffalos, 16 males
and 10 females) with presternal bursitis. There were 10
out of 11 cases of olecranon bursitis and 21 out of 26 cases
of presternal bursitis with different forms (cystic,
proliferative and fibrous) that were removed surgically.
The remaining 6 cases, cystic bursitis (olecranon = 1,
presternal = 5), were treated by aspiration of their
contents and injection of 4% iodine tincture intrabursally.
Only 2 cases recovered, 3 cases progressed to
fibrosis and required further surgical treatment 2 to 3
weeks later, and 1 case continued to have a cystic lesion.
Histopathological examination of tissue specimens from
different forms of bursitis revealed that the acquired
bursae were generally lined with synovial-like membrane
formed from 2-3 cellular layers that covered the connective
tissue capsule. The connective tissue capsule differed from
one type to another and consisted of fibrous tissues
containing numerous small blood vessels, blood capillaries,
lymphatics and nerves. There was also evidence for
inflammation within the capsule represented by congestion
of blood vessels and the presence of perivascular
inflammatory cells, mostly mononuclear. In conclusion,
surgical treatment was successful and effective for treatment
of olecranon and presternal bursitis particularly for the
chronic proliferative and fibrous form in cattle and
buffalo. The histological structure of the acquired bursae
was relatively similar consisting of a synovial-like
membrane and a connective tissue capsule with varying
degrees of the inflammatory process. KCI Citation Count: 1