Small Intestine Ultrasound Findings on Horses Following Exploratory Laparotomy, Can We Predict Postoperative Reflux?
Abstract: Postoperative reflux (POR) is a well-recognized complication after colic surgery in horses, particularly when presenting small intestinal pathology. Even though much has been written about the pathophysiology and management of POR, additional clinical studies are needed to better understand and anticipate this complication. The aim of the study was to provide clinical evidence of ultrasound findings in the postoperative period (three days). The study is based on transcutaneous abdominal ultrasounds of the caudoventral abdomen during the postoperative period (three days), in 58 horses, presented for an exploratory laparotomy, and compared to 20 horses that underwent general anesthesia for an elective surgical procedure. Small intestine (SI) images and videos were analyzed for loop number, loop diameter, wall thickness, motility, and echogenic type of loop contents. Ultrasound findings of horses that had a large colon pathology were similar to those of the control group. Interestingly, horses that presented an SI pathology had significantly thicker SI walls, increased loop diameter, slower motility, and hypoechoic contents, particularly in horses that had undergone small intestinal resection and anastomosis. Although the number of horses that developed POR in our study was too small for statistical analysis, they all had the aforementioned ultrasonographic changes. Abdominal ultrasound, during the postoperative period (three days), was a useful method to identify horses with abnormal small intestinal parameters. Further investigation as to whether these parameters can be used to predict POR in a larger population is warranted.
Publication Date: 2019-12-09 PubMed ID: 31835406PubMed Central: PMC6940970DOI: 10.3390/ani9121106Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Study
- Colic
- Complications
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Intestinal Pathology
- Intestinal Surgery
- Intestines
- Laparotomy
- Pathophysiology
- Post-Operative Period
- Surgery
- Ultrasound
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
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 research study discusses the correlation between postoperative reflux (POR) incidence and ultrasound findings in horses after colic surgery, particularly focusing on small intestinal pathologies. Through analysis of abdominal ultrasounds post-surgery, the study proposes potential indicators for identifying horses with abnormal intestinal parameters which might lead to POR.
Study Overview
- This investigation aimed to analyze the clinical implications of ultrasound findings in horses in the three-day postoperative period following an exploratory laparotomy due to colic symptoms.
- The subjects of the study comprised 58 horses that underwent the surgery, compared against a control group of 20 horses that had general anesthesia for an elective surgical procedure.
- The ultrasound examinations focused on the caudoventral abdomen area and evaluated the small intestine characteristics such as the number of loops, diameter of the loops, wall thickness, motility, and the echogenic type of loop contents.
Key Findings
- It was found that the ultrasound results of horses with large colon pathologies were similar to that of the control group and didn’t show significant differences.
- Conversely, horses with small intestinal (SI) pathologies displayed thicker SI walls, increased loop diameter, decreased motility, and hypoechoic contents – notably if they had undergone small intestinal resection and anastomosis.
- Interestingly, all horses that developed POR showed these ultrasonographic changes, although the sample size of POR cases was too small in this study for a conclusive statistical analysis.
Conclusions and Further Research
- The study concluded that abdominal ultrasound in the initial postoperative period could be an effective method to identify horses with abnormal small intestinal parameters.
- Further investigation is recommended to confirm whether these parameters can be used to reliably predict the risk of POR in a larger horse population following surgery.
Cite This Article
APA
Cuevas-Ramos G, Domenech L, Prades M.
(2019).
Small Intestine Ultrasound Findings on Horses Following Exploratory Laparotomy, Can We Predict Postoperative Reflux?
Animals (Basel), 9(12).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121106 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Large Animal Clinic, Copenhagen University, Agrovej 8, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark.
- Campus UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
- Campus UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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This article includes 20 references
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