Incarceration of the large colon in the gastrosplenic ligament of a horse.

The research article discusses a case where a horse suffered from incarceration of the large colon due to a rupture in the gastrosplenic ligament which was surgically fixed. The clinical signs were similar to non-strangulating large colon disorders and were diagnosed by surgical abdominal exploration, and the large colon was returned to its normal position after pelvic flexure colotomy and evacuation of colonic contents.

Research Context

• This study is based on a case where a horse experienced a unique medical condition called “large colon incarceration”. This occurs when the large colon of the horse somehow becomes lodged in the gastrosplenic ligament, a band of structural tissue that connects the spleen and the stomach.
• The symptoms exhibited by the horse were akin to those in other patients with non-strangulating large colon disorders. In these cases, the large colon suffers from some pathological incidents but not a severe blood supply blockage “strangulation”.

Diagnosis and Findings

• The ailment was confirmed by a procedural abdominal examination during the surgery.
• The observations such as the misplacement of the spleen medially, the position of the large colon lateral to the stomach and caudolateral to the spleen, and the upward displacement of the large colon via the gastrosplenic ligament were all identical to cases where the small intestine is trapped in the gastrosplenic ligament.

Correction Method

• The medical intervention conducted to rectify this disorder was through a surgical approach called a ‘ventral midline celiotomy’, a common abdominal surgical procedure in horses.
• One key aspect of the surgical correction was a process called ‘pelvic flexure colotomy’. This procedure involves making an incision in the pelvic flexure of the colon, which assists in the removal of the contents of the colon prior to returning the large colon back to its anatomic position in the gut.
• Once the colon was empty, it was guided back through the opening in the gastrosplenic ligament to its natural anatomical position.