Large animal surgery Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon
Cutaneous lipomas in horses occur only in young animals and can occur on the trunk or limbs (Bristol and Fubini 1984). There is little information regarding cutaneous lipomas in the horse in the literature. The only manuscript to discuss them was a report on three cases which had no recurrence after resection (Bristol and Fubini 1984). Three cases of cutaneous lipomas presented for surgical resection to our clinic. Two of the cases were located on the abdomen and one was surrounding the tarsal joint. The masses on the abdomen were extremely large measuring up to 40cm in length. One of the abdominal cases resolved with resection while another recurred locally. The horse was treated unsuccessfully with cisplatin. This horse returned to surgery and the second mass was removed leading to an acceptable outcome. The final horse had a lipoma that surrounded the tarsocrural joint including the extensor tendons. This mass was incompletely resected as complete removal would have required joint capsule resection. The mass did not grow further, and the horse went on to normal athleticism. Cutaneous lipomas should be resected as completely as possible. An active suction drain should be used on large masses to prevent migration of adipocytes and local recurrence. The single case on which we used cisplatin did not respond to chemotherapy and required repeat resection. All horses returned to normal use. All tumors that were incompletely resected did not progress once the horse was 3 years or older.
