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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Am Vet Med Assoc / Use of diagnostic ultrasonography in horses with signs of ac...
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association1996; 209(9); 1597-1601;

Use of diagnostic ultrasonography in horses with signs of acute abdominal pain.

Abstract: To evaluate the use of abdominal ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool in horses with signs of colic. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 226 horses with signs of acute abdominal pain were compared to 20 clinical normal horses. Methods: The following were performed in horses with signs of colic: physical examination, CBC, abdominal fluid analysis, placement of a nasogastric tube to obtain gastric reflux, abdominal palpation per rectum, and ultrasonography of the abdomen. Results of ultrasonography were compared with the surgical, necropsy, or medical findings. Results: Ultrasonography of horses with primary small-intestine lesions revealed images of small intestine with a wall thickness of 0.2 to 1.8 cm and a diameter of 3.6 to 13.5 cm without evidence of motility. Horses with peritonitis did have evidence of small-intestine motility on ultrasonography with a wall thickness of 0.5 to 1.3 cm and a diameter of 2 to 5.1 cm. Horses with primary large-colon lesions or small-colon impactions had small-intestine diameters on ultrasonographic evaluation of 3 to 7.1 cm. In these horses, small-intestine motility was detected. If abnormal small intestine that lacked motility was detected by ultrasonographic evaluation, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for small-intestine stragulation obstructions were 100%. Detection of distended or edematous small intestine by abdominal palpation per rectum provided a sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 98%, positive predictive value of 89%, and negative predictive value of 89% for small-intestine strangulation obstructions. Conclusions: The use of abdominal ultrasonography. In horses with signs of colic is accurate for detecting small-intestine strangulation obstructions.
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Publication Date: 1996-11-11 PubMed ID: 8899025
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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 research examines the effectiveness of abdominal ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool in detecting small-intestine strangulation obstructions in horses showing signs of colic. It found the method to be very precise compared to other techniques like abdominal palpation.

Methods

  • Researchers carried out a prospective study on 226 horses that showed signs of acute abdominal pain. These were compared with 20 clinically normal horses.
  • Each of the horses with signs of colic underwent a physical examination, CBC, abdominal fluid analysis, placement of a nasogastric tube for gastric reflux acquisition, abdominal palpation per rectum, and abdominal ultrasonography.
  • The results of ultrasonography were then compared with surgical, necropsy, or medical findings to arrive at a conclusion.

Results

  • Ultrasonography performed on horses with primary small-intestine lesions revealed images of small intestine with a variable wall thickness and diameter, but with no evidence of motility.
  • Contrarily, horses with peritonitis showed evidence of small-intestine motility on ultrasonography with different wall thickness and diameter.
  • Horses with primary large-colon lesions or small-colon impactions showed a different range of small intestine diameters on ultrasonographic evaluation. Motility was also detected in these horses’ small intestines.
  • When ultrasonographic evaluation detected abnormal small intestine that lacked motility, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for small-intestine strangulation obstructions were all found to be 100%. Meaning, ultrasonography was extremely accurate in diagnosing this condition.
  • In contrast, the detection of distended or edematous small intestine by abdominal palpation per rectum showed a lower sensitivity of 50%, although specificity was at 98%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value for small-intestine strangulation obstructions were 89% each, making it less effective as a diagnostic tool compared to ultrasonography.

Conclusions

  • The research suggests that the use of abdominal ultrasonography in horses showing signs of colic is highly accurate in detecting small-intestine strangulation obstructions compared to other diagnostic approaches such as abdominal palpation.

Cite This Article

APA
Klohnen A, Vachon AM, Fischer AT. (1996). Use of diagnostic ultrasonography in horses with signs of acute abdominal pain. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 209(9), 1597-1601.

Publication

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
ISSN: 0003-1488
NlmUniqueID: 7503067
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 209
Issue: 9
Pages: 1597-1601

Researcher Affiliations

Klohnen, A
  • Chino Valley Equine Hospital, CA 91710, USA.
Vachon, A M
    Fischer, A T

      MeSH Terms

      • Abdominal Pain / diagnostic imaging
      • Abdominal Pain / veterinary
      • Animals
      • Colon / diagnostic imaging
      • Gastrointestinal Motility
      • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
      • Horses
      • Intestinal Obstruction / diagnosis
      • Intestinal Obstruction / veterinary
      • Intestine, Small / diagnostic imaging
      • Intestine, Small / physiopathology
      • Lipoma / pathology
      • Lipoma / veterinary
      • Palpation / veterinary
      • Peritonitis / diagnostic imaging
      • Peritonitis / veterinary
      • Predictive Value of Tests
      • Prospective Studies
      • Ultrasonography

      Citations

      This article has been cited 13 times.
      1. Accorroni L, Bazzano M, Marchegiani A, Spaterna A, Laus F. Abdominal Ultrasonography in Healthy Female Standard Donkeys. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 8;15(2).
        doi: 10.3390/ani15020129pubmed: 39858129google scholar: lookup
      2. Haardt H, Romero AE, Boysen SR, Tan JY. Comparison of transrectal and transabdominal transducers for use in fast localized abdominal sonography of horses presenting with colic. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1307938.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1307938pubmed: 38239746google scholar: lookup
      3. Kaffas AE, Vo-Phamhi JM, Griffin JF, Hoyt K. Critical Advances for Democratizing Ultrasound Diagnostics in Human and Veterinary Medicine. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2024 Jul;26(1):49-65.
        doi: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-110222-095229pubmed: 38166185google scholar: lookup
      4. Epstein KL, Hall MD. Effect of Nasogastric Tube Placement, Manipulation, and Fluid Administration on Transcutaneous Ultrasound Visualization and Assessment of Stomach Position in Healthy Unfed and Fed Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 6;12(23).
        doi: 10.3390/ani12233433pubmed: 36496953google scholar: lookup
      5. Farrell A, Kersh K, Liepman R, Dembek KA. Development of a Colic Scoring System to Predict Outcome in Horses. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:697589.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.697589pubmed: 34692803google scholar: lookup
      6. Cuevas-Ramos G, Domenech L, Prades M. Small Intestine Ultrasound Findings on Horses Following Exploratory Laparotomy, Can We Predict Postoperative Reflux?. Animals (Basel) 2019 Dec 9;9(12).
        doi: 10.3390/ani9121106pubmed: 31835406google scholar: lookup
      7. Siwinska N, Zak A, Baron M, Cylna M, Borowicz H. Right dorsal colon ultrasonography in normal adult ponies and miniature horses. PLoS One 2017;12(10):e0186825.
        doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186825pubmed: 29065146google scholar: lookup
      8. Curtis L, Trewin I, England GC, Burford JH, Freeman SL. Veterinary practitioners' selection of diagnostic tests for the primary evaluation of colic in the horse. Vet Rec Open 2015;2(2):e000145.
        doi: 10.1136/vetreco-2015-000145pubmed: 26457192google scholar: lookup
      9. Williams S, Cooper J, Freeman S. Evaluation of normal findings using a detailed and focused technique for transcutaneous abdominal ultrasonography in the horse. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S5.
        doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-S1-S5pubmed: 25238559google scholar: lookup
      10. Ness SL, Bain FT, Zantingh AJ, Gaughan EM, Story MR, Nydam DV, Divers TJ. Ultrasonographic visualization of colonic mesenteric vasculature as an indicator of large colon right dorsal displacement or 180° volvulus (or both) in horses. Can Vet J 2012 Apr;53(4):378-82.
        pubmed: 23024382
      11. Hendrickson EH, Malone ED, Sage AM. Identification of normal parameters for ultrasonographic examination of the equine large colon and cecum. Can Vet J 2007 Mar;48(3):289-91.
        pubmed: 17436906
      12. Mitchell CF, Malone ED, Sage AM, Niksich K. Evaluation of gastrointestinal activity patterns in healthy horses using B mode and Doppler ultrasonography. Can Vet J 2005 Feb;46(2):134-40.
        pubmed: 15825515
      13. Thoefner MB, Ersbøll BK, Jansson N, Hesselholt M. Diagnostic decision rule for support in clinical assessment of the need for surgical intervention in horses with acute abdominal pain. Can J Vet Res 2003 Jan;67(1):20-9.
        pubmed: 12528825
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