Use of ultrasound in horses for diagnosis of left dorsal displacement of the large colon and monitoring its nonsurgical correction.

This article investigates the use of ultrasound in diagnosing and monitoring the resolution of a specific abdominal condition in horses, “left dorsal displacement of the large colon (LDDLC)”. The researchers used percutaneous ultrasound to examine 82 horses showing symptoms of abdominal discomfort, successfully diagnosing or ruling out LDDLC in each case, and then tracking the effectiveness of non-surgical resolution methods.

Research Methodology

• The study was conducted over a span of 28 months, wherein a total of 82 horses exhibiting signs of abdominal pain were studied.
• The researchers used percutaneous ultrasound as a diagnostic tool to examine these horses for LDDLC. This condition was confirmed when a gas echo was observed behind the spleen, or when the colon was visible beside the spleen.
• Out of the 82 horses, ultrasound confirmed LDDLC in 42 cases and ruled out LDDLC in 40 cases. There were five cases that resulted in false negatives, but no false positives were reported.

Observations & Findings

• Among the horses confirmed with LDDLC, four had their colon displaced between the spleen and body wall. For these cases, three recovered with medical treatment while the fourth one required celiotomy to relieve a sand impaction.
• In the remaining 38 confirmed cases, the horses were experiencing renosplenic entrapment. Four horses underwent surgery, 21 were successfully treated with a non-surgical rolling procedure, 12 required surgery after a failed attempt at the rolling procedure, and one initially responded to the rolling procedure but needed surgery due to an additional issue.

Conclusions

• The study concludes that percutaneous abdominal ultrasound is highly effective in diagnosing LDDLC in horses.
• Moreover, it also proves useful in confirming the successful correction of the displacement through a non-surgical rolling procedure, thus eliminating the need for surgical intervention in a substantial proportion of the cases.