Comparison of surgical and medical treatment of 49 postpartum mares with presumptive or confirmed uterine tears.
Abstract: To determine outcome after medical or surgical treatment of postpartum mares with confirmed or presumptive uterine tears. Methods: Case series. Methods: Postpartum mares were included if foaling had occurred within 7 days and uterine tear was confirmed surgically or, in medically treated mares, by palpation or presumed based on peritonitis. Information (age, breed; physical examination, laboratory and abdominocentesis findings; treatment, survival rates, length of hospital stay, treatments costs, and breeding performance after discharge) was obtained from the medical records (1990-2007). The influence of variables was compared between medical and surgical treatment, and between survivors and nonsurvivors. Results: For 49 mares, survival was 75%, with no significant difference between medical (11/15; 73%) or surgical (26/34; 76%) treatment. Admission variables, treatment cost, duration of hospital stay, and likelihood of foaling after discharge were not significantly different between treatment groups. Nonsurvivors were significantly more likely to have gastric reflux, higher heart rate, anion gap, lower total CO(2), and leukocyte count, compared with survivors. Tears were significantly (P=.018) more likely to occur in the right uterine horn than in other parts of the uterus. Conclusions: Uterine tears occur more commonly in the uterine horns, more so the right horn, and survival is similar with surgical or medical treatment of uterine tears in postpartum mares. Conclusions: Medical treatment may be a reasonable alternative to surgical treatment for uterine tears, although the severity of tear that can resolve with medical treatment is unknown, and medical therapy can be as expensive as surgical treatment.
Publication Date: 2010-03-10 PubMed ID: 20210976DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-950X.2010.00645.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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This study investigates the outcomes of medical and surgical treatments of uterine tears in mares that have recently given birth. The research indicates that both treatment methods have comparable survival rates and that uterine tears are more likely to occur in the right uterine horn.
Research Methodology
- The study comprises a case series involving postpartum mares that had either confirmed or presumptive uterine tears.
- To be included in the study, the foaling should have taken place within 7 days of the treatment.
- For medically treated mares, the confirmation of uterine tear was primarily done through palpation or inferred from peritonitis. Surgically treated mares had the tears confirmed during the procedure.
- Data including the mare’s age, breed, physical examination, lab findings, survival rates, length of hospital stay, treatments costs, and breeding performance after discharge was obtained from medical records spanning from 1990 to 2007.
- This data was then compared between the mares that underwent medical treatment and those that went through surgical treatment. Further comparisons were made between survivors and nonsurvivors.
Research Findings
- Out of 49 mares involved in the study, the overall survival rate was 75%.
- No significant difference was observed between the survival rates of mares that underwent medical treatment (73%, 11 out of 15) and those that had surgical treatment (76%, 26 out of 34).
- Other factors such as admission variables, treatment cost, duration of hospital stay, and the likelihood of foaling after discharge did not show a significant difference between the two treatment groups.
- However, nonsurvivors were significantly more likely to exhibit symptoms such as gastric reflux, higher heart rate, a bigger anion gap, lower total CO2 levels, and leukocyte count, compared with survivors.
- Interestingly, the study found that uterine tears were significantly more likely to occur in the right uterine horn than in other parts of the uterus.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that uterine tears occur more commonly in the uterine horns, particularly in the right horn. The calf survival rate was similar, regardless of whether surgical or medical treatment was used for uterine tears in postpartum mares.
- Based on the findings, medical treatment can be considered a suitable alternative to surgical treatment for uterine tears. However, the study notes that the severity of the tear that can be resolved through medical treatment remains unknown.
- The study also found that the cost of medical therapy could be as high as that of surgical treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Javsicas LH, Giguère S, Freeman DE, Rodgerson DH, Slovis NM.
(2010).
Comparison of surgical and medical treatment of 49 postpartum mares with presumptive or confirmed uterine tears.
Vet Surg, 39(2), 254-260.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950X.2010.00645.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; and the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lexington, KY, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses / surgery
- Parity
- Peritonitis / veterinary
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Complications / veterinary
- Survival Analysis
- Treatment Outcome
- Uterine Rupture / surgery
- Uterine Rupture / therapy
- Uterine Rupture / veterinary
- Uterus / surgery
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Hardefeldt L, Thomas K, Page S, Norris J, Browning G, El Hage C, Stewart A, Gilkerson J, Muscatello G, Verwilghen D, van Galen G, Bauquier J, Cuming R, Reynolds B, Whittaker C, Wilkes E, Clulow J, Burden C, Begg L. Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for horses in Australia. Aust Vet J 2025 Dec;103(12):781-889.
- Dos Santos GS, Francischetti GS, Garritano NF, Hagen SCF, Cagnim AF, Catão-Dias JL, Ferreira Neto JS, Sucupira MCA, Heinemann MB. Polymicrobial Septic Peritonitis Caused by Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus casseliflavus following Uterine Rupture in a Goat. Vet Sci 2024 Jun 12;11(6).
- Rapezzano G, Marcatili M, Stephenson R, Pereira R, Hallowell G, Duz M. Evaluation of peritoneal l-lactate concentration in horses in the early post-partum period. Vet Med Sci 2024 May;10(3):e1352.
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