Haemoperitoneum in horses: a retrospective review of 54 cases.
Abstract: This retrospective study was conducted in the UK and identifies the most frequent causes, diagnoses, treatment and prognoses for short- and long-term survival in 54 cases of horses with haemoperitoneum. Clinical signs of haemorrhagic shock and colic were common, and abdominal ultrasound was very useful for the identification of haemoperitoneum. Causes of haemoperitoneum included uterine injury (22 per cent), involvement of specific blood vessels (20 per cent), splenic injury (19 per cent), neoplasia (13 per cent) and other (4 per cent). No source was identified in 22 per cent of cases. Fifty-seven per cent of cases underwent exploratory laparotomy. Of the surgical cases, a diagnosis was made in 65 per cent, with 42 per cent surviving to discharge. It was felt that exploratory laparotomy had both diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Twenty-eight per cent of cases died, and 33 per cent were euthanased, whereas 39 per cent survived to be discharged from the hospital, with 35 per cent of these surviving in the long term. Idiopathic haemoperitoneum was associated with the best outcome for long-term survival.
Publication Date: 2011-01-25 PubMed ID: 21257396DOI: 10.1136/vr.c4569Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article presents a study on haemoperitoneum (bleeding into the abdominal cavity) in horses, identifying its common causes, effects, treatments, and outcomes.
Objectives and Methodology
- The study aimed to examine the main causes, resultant conditions, most effective treatments, and likely long-term and short-term outcomes for haemoperitoneum in horses.
- The research was retrospective, meaning it looked back at the past medical records of 54 horses treated in the UK for this condition.
Clinical Findings
- Common characteristics of haemoperitoneum in this study were signs of shock caused by blood loss and symptoms common to colic – a term used for abdominal pain in horses.
- The use of abdominal ultrasound was particularly useful for identifying haemoperitoneum in these cases.
Main Causes
- The primary sources of haemoperitoneum identified were uterine injury, damage to specific blood vessels, splenic (an organ involved in blood filtration and storage) injury, and cancer – specifically neoplasia.
- The source of haemoperitoneum was not identifiable in one fifth of the cases.
Treatment and Survival Rates
- More than half of the cases were treated with an exploratory laparotomy, a surgical procedure for examining the abdominal cavity. This procedure was deemed beneficial for both diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes.
- There was a mixed survival rate following treatment. A higher percentage of horses either died or were euthanased, but a significant number survived to be discharged from the hospital, with a good portion of those remaining alive in the long term.
- The study found that idiopathic haemoperitoneum (haemoperitoneum of unknown cause) was associated with the best long-term survival rate.
Cite This Article
APA
Conwell RC, Hillyer MH, Mair TS, Pirie RS, Clegg PD.
(2011).
Haemoperitoneum in horses: a retrospective review of 54 cases.
Vet Rec, 167(14), 514-518.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.c4569 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- EquiMed Referrals, 75 York Road, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 8AR. rcconwell@googlemail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Colic / diagnosis
- Colic / mortality
- Colic / surgery
- Colic / veterinary
- Female
- Hemoperitoneum / diagnosis
- Hemoperitoneum / mortality
- Hemoperitoneum / surgery
- Hemoperitoneum / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Laparotomy / veterinary
- Male
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Shock, Hemorrhagic / diagnosis
- Shock, Hemorrhagic / mortality
- Shock, Hemorrhagic / surgery
- Shock, Hemorrhagic / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- R Palomar A, S Ordaz M, C Luna L, O Pérez J, C Flores AM. Hemoperitoneum secondary to cecocolic dilation in a pregnant mare. Int J Vet Sci Med 2017 Jun;5(1):84-88.
- Fouché N, Gerber V, Gorgas D, Marolf V, Grouzmann E, van der Kolk JH, Navas de Solis C. Catecholamine Metabolism in a Shetland Pony with Suspected Pheochromocytoma and Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Nov;30(6):1872-1878.
- Tommasa SD, Roth SP, Triebe T, Brehm W, Lohmann KL, Stöckle SD. Successful intra-abdominal resection of a 24 kg ovarian granulosa cell tumor in a Warmblood mare. Open Vet J 2023 Sep;13(9):1212-1218.
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