Osteochondral lesions that show up on young horses’ radiographs might appear worrisome, but the veterinarian behind a recent research review concluded that surgery isn’t always necessary, or even recommended. And in many cases the worry isn’t necessary either.

“I see far too many situations of positive radiographs meaning a flunked prepurchase exam in a sound horse,” said C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, DSc, FRCVS, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVSMR, director of the Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University. “Osteochondrosis defects are not the biggest thing we have to worry about in young horses.”

Often, osteochondral lesions will resolve on their own or with conservative treatment such as reduced work load, he said. But some osteochondral lesions do require surgical intervention to prevent compromised soundness and performance.

McIlwraith recently investigated the outcomes of surgical and nonsurgical care of various osteochondral lesions in a research review