Rectal prolapse in the horse.

This research article studies the cases of eleven horses with rectal prolapses at Purdue University, focuses on the successful correction of these conditions through submucosal resections, and confirms these procedures are effective as none of the horses had a recurrence during the follow-up period of 4 months to 6 years.

Subjects of the Study

• The study was conducted on eleven horses which were suffering from rectal prolapses. These horses underwent examination at Purdue University.

Correction of Rectal Prolapses

• Out of the eleven horses, nine were successfully treated for their rectal prolapses through a surgical process called submucosal resection.
• Submucosal resection is a procedure where a part of the submucosal tissue is removed to treat the condition.
• Four out of these nine horses were treated with a modified form of this resection process. In this modification, not just the submucosa, a soft tissue layer beneath the outer mucous membrane, but also the mucosal layer, was apposed, or brought in contact.

Follow-up and Results

• A follow-up was conducted on eight of these horses. The horses were studied for a period ranging from four months to as long as six years post surgery to determine the long term effectiveness of the resection procedures.
• The results from this follow-up established that rectal prolapse did not recur in any of the horses following the submucosal resection.
• This confirms the effectiveness of the submucosal resection, and particularly the modified procedure that apposes both mucosa and submucosa, as a corrective procedure for rectal prolapses in horses.