Abdominal radiography for diagnosis of enterolithiasis in horses: 141 cases (1990-1992).

The research article provides an analysis of 245 horse medical records in which abdominal radiography was used for diagnosis between 1990 and 1992. The data indicates a high success rate for locating enteroliths, stone-like masses in the digestive tract.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

• The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of abdominal radiography in diagnosing enterolithiasis (the formation of stone-like masses) in horses.
• To achieve this, medical records of 245 horses subjected to abdominal radiography from 1990 to 1992 were reviewed.
• Further, definitive lesion diagnosis was performed on 141 of these horses through postmortem examination or surgical exploration.
• All the obtained data including the signalment (animal’s age, breed, sex), diagnosis, site, and number of enteroliths were elucidated from these records.
• Three individual reviewers evaluated the radiographs, accounting for the presence of enteroliths, diagnostic view, evidence of large colon distention, and film quality.

Findings of the Study

• Out of 141 cases, 94 cases (66.7%) were confirmed with enterolithiasis.
• The enteroliths were located in various parts of the colon i.e., right dorsal, transverse, small, and ventral colon.
• The sensitivity of these findings, or the ability of the radiography to correctly identify positives, was about 76.9%. The specificity or the capacity to correctly identify negatives was about 94.4%.
• The positive predictive value (the likelihood that subjects with a positive screening test truly have the disease) was significant at 96.4%.
• The negative predictive value (proportion of patients with negative test results who are correctly diagnosed) was found to be 67.5%.
• Cases with large colon enteroliths were correctly diagnosed at a higher rate (83.2%) than cases of small colon enteroliths (41.6%).
• In close to 55% of the horses showing radiographic signs of large colon distention, enteroliths were evident.
• The quality of the radiographic images was evaluated on a scale: adequate, underexposed, overexposed, or incomplete. The mean evaluation score was -0.5 implying underexposure, with 14.9% of the studies being incomplete.

Conclusion from the Study

• The study shows the effectiveness of abdominal radiography for diagnosing enterolithiasis in horses.
• Although the method showcased a high success rate in identifying enteroliths in the large colon, its efficacy was comparatively less in diagnosing enteroliths in the small colon.
• These findings can be instrumental in advancing equine medicine by identifying the limitations and strengths of abdominal radiography in diagnosing enterolithiasis.