Esophageal phytobezoar in a horse.

This research paper reports on a case where a racehorse was treated for esophageal obstruction, detected through clinical examination and contrast radiography. The obstruction, identified as a phytobezoar (a mass of indigestible material), was formed in an esophageal diverticulum (an outpouching of the esophageal wall) and eventually blocked the esophagus. Post-mortem examination also found tissue damage beneath the obstruction.

Circumstances Leading to Hospitalization

• The subject of the study was a 23-year-old Thoroughbred stallion, who was brought to a veterinary hospital due to a sudden occurrence of esophageal obstruction or “choke.”

Diagnosis

• Clinical examination was conducted by veterinarians, along with contrast radiography, a specific type of imaging using a contrast agent to highlight the esophagus in X-rays. These methods confirmed the presence of an obstruction in the horse’s esophagus.

Post-Mortem Examination and Findings

• Due to the severity of the condition, the horse was euthanized.
• Upon post-mortem examination, a mass of feed material, known as a phytobezoar, was found blocking the esophagus about 6 cm away from the thoracic inlet (the entrance to the chest cavity).
• Notably, damage to the tissue lining the esophagus, or esophageal mucosa, was discovered beneath the phytobezoar, indicating a state of necrosis or tissue death.
• A large pulsion diverticulum, a sort of pouch protruding from the esophageal wall caused by increased pressure, was found located in the lower portion of the throat (caudocervical esophagus).

Conclusion

• Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that the phytobezoar had likely originated within the esophageal diverticulum. It would have been formed over time, as indigestible material accumulated in the pouch.
• At some point, this mass was dislodged from the diverticulum and moved down the esophagus, causing the acute obstruction that led to this horse’s hospitalization and subsequent euthanization.