Use of digital abdominal radiography for the diagnosis of enterolithiasis in equids: 238 cases (2008-2011).

The research evaluates the effectiveness of digital abdominal radiography in diagnosing a condition in equines called enterolithiasis, reflecting on specifics such as the number or location of enteroliths and the presence of gas. The result highlights high sensitivity and specificity of the method for large colon enteroliths, lesser so for small colon enteroliths, but higher in comparison to computed radiography.

Research Methodology

• This study is a retrospective case series involving 238 equids (horses and ponies) that are one year old or more.
• These subjects underwent digital abdominal radiography, followed by exploratory celiotomy (surgical incision into the abdominal cavity) or postmortem examination.
• The radiographic images were independently evaluated by three reviewers for the presence and location of enteroliths (stone-like formations in the animal’s digestive tract) and the degree of gas distention.
• The medical records were used to obtain the definitive diagnosis, number, and anatomic location of enteroliths.

Research Findings

• The presence of enterolithiasis was confirmed in 70 out of the 238 equids, a notable 29.4% of the sample population.
• The overall sensitivity and specificity rate for diagnosing enterolithiasis via digital radiography among the three reviewers were 84% and 96%, respectively.
• It was observed that sensitivity was lower for small colon enteroliths (61.5%), compared to large colon enteroliths (88.9%).
• The effectiveness of diagnosis was negatively impacted by the presence of gas distention in the gastrointestinal tract.
• However, the number of enteroliths did not have any impact on the diagnostic sensitivity of digital radiography.

Conclusions

• The study concluded that digital radiography manifested high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing large colon enterolithiasis in equids.
• While the sensitivity for detecting small colon enteroliths was lower, it was still higher than that typically associated with computed radiography.
• In regions where enterolithiasis in equids is common, the application of digital abdominal radiography could be used routinely to diagnose equids with colic (severe, often fluctuating pain in the abdomen).