Inflammatory bowel disease in horses: 11 cases (1988-1998).
Abstract: To determine clinical and surgical abnormalities in, and long-term outcome of, horses that undergo surgery because of colic secondary to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 11 horses. Methods: Medical records of horses that had undergone abdominal surgery and in which IBD had been diagnosed on the basis of histologic examination of intestinal biopsy specimens were reviewed. Results: 5 horses were examined because of acute colic and 6 were examined because of chronic colic. At surgery, all 11 horses had edematous or hemorrhagic bowel segments suggestive of IBD. In addition, 6 horses had circumferential mural bands (CMB) causing constriction of the small (4 horses) or large (2) intestine. Intestinal resections were performed in 7 horses. All 11 horses survived surgery and were discharged from the hospital; 10 horses were still alive at the time of follow-up (1.5 to 7 years after surgery). Conclusions: Results suggest that IBD is an uncommon cause of colic in horses. Surgical resection of segments of intestine with constrictive CMB may relieve clinical signs of colic. Horses with IBD that had surgery had a good prognosis for long-term survival.
Publication Date: 1999-05-26 PubMed ID: 10340082
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article is about a study done on 11 horses suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) related colic, where it was observed that surgical intervention resulted in positive long-term survival outcomes.
Study Purpose and Method
- The main goal of this study was to analyze the clinical and surgical abnormalities in horses that underwent surgery due to colic, a severe abdominal discomfort, caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- The study was retrospective in nature, meaning the researchers looked back on past cases to gather information.
- For this study, the medical records of 11 horses that had undergone abdominal surgery for IBD were examined thoroughly. The diagnosis of IBD in these horses was confirmed through a histologic examination of biopsy specimens (tissues) from the intestines.
Study Findings
- Out of these 11 horses, 5 were treated because of acute (sudden onset) colic while the other 6 for chronic (long-term) colic. All these horses revealed the presence of edematous (swollen due to fluid accumulation) or hemorrhagic (bleeding) bowel segments, suggesting IBD during surgery.
- Further, it was observed that 6 out of the 11 horses had circumferential mural bands (CMB)- bands of thickened tissue around the bowel that constrict and impair the normal function of the intestine. This was seen in both small and large intestines in these horses.
- A surgical procedure called intestinal resection (removal of a part of the intestine) was performed on 7 out of the 11 horses.
Outcome and Conclusion
- It was noted that all the 11 horses survived surgery and were discharged from the hospital. Follow-up showed that 10 out of these 11 horses were still alive 1.5 to 7 years after the surgery.
- The results of this study suggested that IBD is not a common cause of colic in horses. However, when IBD does result in colic, surgical resection, particularly in cases of intestines with constrictive CMB, may relieve the clinical signs.
- Moreover, the study provided evidence that IBD horses that undergo surgery generally have a good prognosis for long-term survival.
Cite This Article
APA
Scott EA, Heidel JR, Snyder SP, Ramirez S, Whitler WA.
(1999).
Inflammatory bowel disease in horses: 11 cases (1988-1998).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 214(10), 1527-1530.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331-4802, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Acute Disease
- Animals
- Chronic Disease
- Colic / etiology
- Colic / surgery
- Colic / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / complications
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / surgery
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / veterinary
- Intestines / pathology
- Male
- Paracentesis / veterinary
- Physical Examination / veterinary
- Postoperative Care / veterinary
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Treatment Outcome
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