Iridium 192 treatment for sarcoids in eye

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vickster

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Hi, new on here!! Does anyone have any experience with the use of iridium wires to treat nodular sarcoids around the eyes? Everything I have read seems to indicate it's very successfull but ridiculously expensive!!!!!! Would appreciate your posts, Thanks
 
My friend's horse had this done about 14 years ago and he was certainly alright the last time I saw him, although that was a long time ago. He was done at Liverpool too and they helped her with the cost by using second-hand wires.
 
I saw one done by Liverpool 15 years ago. The eyelid was a raw mess when the mare came home and she was put to sleep a couple of months later when it failed to heal. Are you aware of the isolation while the horse is radioactive? It cannot be moved or mucked out and hay is thrown in quickly before the door is closed again. Better than dying I supposed but I would want to know the % success rate before I had it done to a horse.
 
Thanks for your replies, I've done some reading up and it seems to be the case that radiation therapy is done as a last resort and that often BCG injections are tried first, anyone any idea how successful the injections are? The sarcoid isnt very big and it's under her eyelid. The vet initially said to leave it alone but it has since become slightly larger, only slightly smaller than a pea.
 
Have you tried treatment with cimetidine Vickster? If not, it might be worth a shot asking the vets if this particular sarcoid could respond. Yes, it's a human ulcer medication but it has tumour shrinking properties too. Cheap, easy, minimum risk.
 
Not iridium, but one of mine had the BCG vaccine treatment for perioccular nodular sarcoids. She had 3 on the top of one eye.

Also very expensive - a total of eight treatments - but very successful, and (touch wood) have not come back. Hers was done about 6-7 years ago.
 
Had a horse that had this done a couple of years ago. Massive one sat right on the edge of the eyelid about the size of a golf ball. Looked unchanged when he came out of isolation and it took about 10 months to slowly scab, bleed and drop off. Had to get the vet out to sedate and clean it a couple of times as couldnt get near it otherwise ( this was at the 6 month point when it was at its worse). All healed up beautifully and 30 months later there is just a scar there and no signs of any further sarcoids anywhere, thank god. He had to have a couple lasered out on the insides of his stifle in the early days but none have re-grown since.
Didnt like the idea of him going through the isolation for the week ( he wasnt mucked out or taken out of the box and food was chucked through a hole in the wall) but he seemed fine at the end of it all.
Would specifically ask that they feed a lot more hay tho, not sure that he had it ad-lib judging by how thin he was when he came out, but who knows that may have just been weight worried off by the stress of it all.
 
My horse is currently going though sarcoid treatment now for sarcoid above & below left eye - 2 different types of sarcoid. He has a dreadful ulcerated sarcoid in his left ear & several smaller sarcoids on his inner left thigh - oh & multiple lumps & bumps covering his penis.... poor lad.

We bred him ourselves & these sarcoids appeared when he was a rising 4yr old - he's 5 now. Initially we left them alone under vets guidance, then advised to try iridium wires which was the prefered choice of Prof. Knockenbelt (sic) but were just too expensive (hes not ensured for sarcoids)we decided to try Mita-micin (excuse spelling please) it is a type of chemothrerapy drug that they use to treat bladder tumors in humans - the solution is diluted and injected directly into the sarcoids. He's currently going through a 6week break from treatment & i'm sending photo's to vet who sends them onto prof. K. So far its looking sucessful everywhere except the ear sarcoid which looks to be growing back....:(
 
Just reading with interest as the younger of my 2 has a sarcoid on one of his top eyelids and Dr K @ Liverpool has recommended the iridium wires as the lump isn't suitable for the BCG injections and it all sounds like a scary process! (I can't imagine him not being mucked out for 10 days, he's a very trampy scruffy TB!)

Anymore feedback either way would be appreciated then I can ask more questions when I speak to them! Thanks in advance :)
 
Sorry I have no experience of the Iridium however when my horse was 4 he had a sarcoid on the outer edge of his eyelid right in the corner where is sort of creases- he had his surgically removed at Liphook by Tim Phillips, the surgery went really smoothly and he is nearly 16 now and never had any probs- there is the tiniest of scars where it was removed but they did a good job!

He had another small sarcoid on his sheath about 5 yrs ago as well and that was surgically removed by my own vet. He has never had any probs with them and i prefer them to be removed rather than any other type of treatment or cream, as was quicker, cheaper and better for my own particular horse i know they say that there is a high chance they can come back when they have been removed, but has not been much of a problem really.

Good luck though with your horse- hope it all goes well.
 
Surgery was a possible option initially but after they did an ultrasound scan they realised it was ruled out due to where it was and would probably give him either eye or eyelid problems!

Thanks and good to hear your boy is doing well! :)
 
I have a youngster rising 4 who has several different sarcoids, one being on his eye, just by the side. I enquired re BCG injections but was told it would be at least £1000.00 so as hes not insured my vet recommended efudix/flouracil ? I have applied a 2 week treatment , it seemed to reduce sarcoid but could still see some crusty skin so just have finished a second application and its all peeling off/scabby at the moment but Im hopeful it may of got rid of it. It may be a cheaper/easier route to go down
 
I can't put cream on it as it'll end up going into his eye as it's on the top of his eye/eyelid :( Thankfully he's covered by insurance so I just need to get him there and back and pay any over spend on hospitalisation (only have £250 cover for that). Spoke to Prof Knottenbelt this morning and feel much better it's the right thing to do, he says he has a success rate of over 90% and has only had 2 cases fail out of 400.

I've been warned it's a long road and he'll look rough and skinny post radiation, but it seems better than being one eyed or worse still pts. They're also checking out his other eye as he has suspected sarcoids there too and will do the 2 in one go if needed. I have to say I'm nervous and worried sick about it, but then thats me worrying about the boy!
 
My Welshie has just been diagnosed with sarcoids above the eye. Am really gutted as it just looked like a hairless patch and looking back at photos taken just after we bought her (last May) it was there then, but not as noticeable. Why did the 5 * vetting not pick this up? Anyway, Liverpool gave us the option of treatment with cream, (not the "Liverpool" cream because of the closeness to her eye), or radiotherapy, which sounds quite drastic and will cost about £4500. After a discussion with our vet we have decided to try the cream option as the least aggressive treatment. If this is unsuccessful we can still resort to radiotherapy. Not sure where this leaves us with insurance yet though.
 
Insurance is covering my radiation treatment for the boy, I know he'll never be covered fo rit again, but I'm hoping that the good start will continue and he'll never have them again above his eye :) Apparently he's doing well atm (he's had the wires put in Monday and is in isolation till next Tues)
 
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