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Frontiers in veterinary science2023; 10; 1156678; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1156678

Retrospective analysis of postoperative complications following surgical treatment of ileal impaction in horses managed with manual decompression compared to jejunal enterotomy.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare the occurrence of post-operative complications and survival to discharge in horses with ileal impactions resolved by manual decompression compared with jejunal enterotomy. Unassigned: A total of 121 client-owned horses undergoing surgical correction of an ileal impaction at three teaching hospitals. Unassigned: Data from the medical records of horses undergoing surgical correction of an ileal impaction was retrospectively collected. Post-operative complications, survival to discharge, or post-operative reflux present were evaluated as dependent variables and pre-operative PCV, surgery duration, pre-operative reflux, and type of surgery were evaluated as independent variables. Type of surgery was divided into manual decompression ( = 88) and jejunal enterotomy ( = 33). Unassigned: There were no significant differences in development of minor complications, development of major complications, presence of post-operative reflux, amount of post-operative reflux, and survival to discharge between horses that were treated with manual decompression and those treated with distal jejunal enterotomy. Pre-operative PCV and surgery duration were significant predictors of survival to discharge. Unassigned: This study showed that there are no significant differences in post-operative complications and survival to discharge in horses undergoing distal jejunal enterotomy versus manual decompression for correction of ileal impaction. Pre-operative PCV and duration of surgery were found to be the only predictive factors of survival to discharge. Based on these findings, distal jejunal enterotomy should be considered earlier in horses with moderate to severe ileal impactions identified at surgery.
Copyright © 2023 Ruff, Zetterstrom, Boone, Hofmeister, Smith, Epstein, Blikslager, Fogle and Burke.
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Publication Date: 2023-04-27 PubMed ID: 37180077PubMed Central: PMC10173877DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1156678Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study comparatively analyses the post-surgery survival rates and complications in horses that underwent two different procedures – manual decompression and jejunal enterotomy – to resolve ileal impactions. The researchers concluded that both methods have no significant difference in post-surgery complications and discharge survival. However, pre-operative packed cell volume (PCV) levels and operation duration were effective in predicting survival rates post-discharge.

Study Objective and Methodology

  • This research aimed to assess post-operative complications and survival rates in horses that underwent surgery for ileal impaction resolution.
  • The study involved 121 client-owned horses at three teaching veterinary hospitals that required surgical treatment for ileal impaction.
  • The cases were divided into two groups: those who underwent manual decompression (88 horses) and those who underwent jejunal enterotomy (33 horses).
  • The researchers retrospectively collected and analyzed data including pre-operative PCV, surgery duration, pre-operative reflux, and surgery type.

Findings and Interpretation

  • The study found that there were no significant differences in minor or major complications, post-operative reflux, discharge survival rates, and post-surgery reflux amounts between the two surgical methods.
  • The pre-operative PCV and surgery duration were significant predictors of survival after discharge. This implies that horses with normal PCV levels and shorter surgery durations are more likely to survive post-surgery.

Study Conclusion and Recommendations

  • The research concluded that both manual decompression and jejunal enterotomy had comparable outcomes when used to correct ileal impaction in horses. Neither surgical procedure was significantly safer or more effective than the other.
  • The study recommends considering distal jejunal enterotomy earlier in horses with moderate to severe ileal impactions identified at surgery due to its comparable efficacy and safety to manual decompression.

Cite This Article

APA
Ruff J, Zetterstrom S, Boone L, Hofmeister E, Smith C, Epstein K, Blikslager A, Fogle C, Burke M. (2023). Retrospective analysis of postoperative complications following surgical treatment of ileal impaction in horses managed with manual decompression compared to jejunal enterotomy. Front Vet Sci, 10, 1156678. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1156678

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Pages: 1156678
PII: 1156678

Researcher Affiliations

Ruff, Jennifer
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Zetterstrom, Sandra
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
Boone, Lindsey
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
Hofmeister, Erik
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
Smith, Caitlin
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.
Epstein, Kira
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.
Blikslager, Anthony
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Fogle, Callie
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Burke, Megan
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Venter AC, Țica O, Cheseli A, Daina CM, Oswald IG, Beiușanu C, Andreescu G, Brihan I. Diagnostic Value of Multimodal Imaging and Histopathology in Gallstone Ileus: A Retrospective Analysis. Diagnostics (Basel) 2025 Aug 12;15(16).
    doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15162017pubmed: 40870869google scholar: lookup
  2. Willette J, Guinn A, Munsterman A. Primary Jejunal Impactions Resolved via Exploratory Celiotomy in Six Horses: 2017-2023. Animals (Basel) 2025 Aug 12;15(16).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15162363pubmed: 40867692google scholar: lookup
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