Resection and anastomosis for treatment of strangulating volvulus of the large colon of horses.

This research examines the treatment of colonic volvulus (a type of abdominal obstruction) in horses through resection and anastomosis. The study finds that this treatment method has higher survival rates compared to traditional procedures and that the outcome cannot be predicted through visual or histological assessments.

Overview of the study

• In this research, nine horses suffering from strangulating volvulus of the large colon were treated using resection and anastomosis. Resection is a surgical procedure that removes part of the organ while anastomosis refers to the connection of two body channels, typically tubes such as blood vessels or bowel segments, that are normally continuous with each other.
• The study compares the outcome of this procedures with the usually used method of decompression and reduction of colonic volvulus and finds better survival rates with their method.

Procedure and evaluation

• The researchers collected tissue samples from the operated area of the colon for histologic evaluation, which involves the study of microscopic anatomy of the tissues.
• They sought to correlate the prognosis of the horse’s condition with the appearance of the colon during the surgery and its microscopic examination.

Results

• After surgery, 6 out of 9 horses survived, showing a survival rate of 66%. This is significantly higher than the 34.7% to 36% survival rate reported from the conventional treatment procedure of decompression and reduction of colonic volvulus.

Conclusion and implications

• The study concludes that the surgical approach of resection and anastomosis shows promising results in the treatment of horses suffering from strangulation volvulus of the large colon.
• However, the researchers made an important observation that the outcome of the surgery couldn’t be predicted based on visual assessment or histologic examination. This indicates a need for more extensive research into prognostic indicators for this condition and treatment method.