What was the hottest news in equine veterinary medicine in 2009? During the popular Kester News Hour session at the annual American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) convention, three top veterinarians (who focus on equine reproduction, internal medicine, and lameness/surgery) summarized the top news topics and the most significant research reports of the year for a record crowd of equine veterinarians.

The Kester presenters during the 2009 AAEP convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, Nev., included:

• Scott E. Palmer, VMD, Dipl. ABVP (Equine Practice), hospital director and a staff surgeon of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in Clarksburg, N.J., past president of the AAEP and American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
• Margo L. Macpherson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, associate professor and section chief in reproduction at the University of Florida, and past president of the American College of Theriogenologists.
• Bonnie R. Rush, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of equine internal medicine at Kansas State University, winner of the 1996 and 2003 Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award, the 2002 Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, and the 2004 Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year.

Shock wave therapy for wounds Although extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is generally used to treat orthopedic problems, Palmer discussed one study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) that found weekly shock wave therapy shortened the healing time of experimentally created wounds of the lower limb (from 90 days to 76 days). There was no significant difference in the quality of healing between ESWT-treated limbs and controls, and the mechanism for the shortened healing time is unclear