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Use of ultrasound to evaluate outcome following colic surgery for equine large colon volvulus.
Abstract: The post operative response of the large colon wall after a surgically corrected large colon volvulus (LCV) has not been investigated. Objective: To use transabdominal ultrasound to monitor the post operative change in large colon wall thickness following surgical correction of LCV. Objective: A prolonged period to colon wall involution is correlated with an increased rate of post operative morbidity and mortality. Methods: A prospective clinical study including horses that presented to the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for colic between September 2006 and March, 2008, had surgically diagnosed and corrected LCV (at least 360 degrees ) without resection and recovered from anaesthesia. Ultrasound of the ventral large colon was performed at the time of anaesthetic recovery and every 6-8 h until the colon wall returned to normal thickness (< or = 5 mm). Outcome was evaluated using a one-way ANOVA to compare average time to colon wall involution between: 1) survivors and nonsurvivors; and 2) horses that developed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) during the post operative period and those that recovered without evidence of MODS. Results: Sixteen horses that recovered without evidence of MODS had a significantly shorter period to colon wall involution (< or = 5 mm) compared to those diagnosed with MODS (mean +/- s.e. 19.6 h +/- 2.5 and 39.7 h +/- 6.7 respectively, P = 0.006). There was no significant difference in mean period to colon wall involution between survivors and nonsurvivors (26.2 +/- 4.9 and 33.2 +/- 7.8 h, respectively). Conclusions: A shorter time to colon wall involution was associated with decreased post operative morbidity in horses presented for surgical correction of large colon volvulus without resection. Conclusions: Ultrasonographic monitoring of colon wall involution after surgical correction of LCV may aid in identifying those cases at risk of MODS. Further investigation of colon wall involution time using a larger number of horses is warranted.
Publication Date: 2010-02-04 PubMed ID: 20121913DOI: 10.2746/042516409X456040Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article discusses the use of ultrasound to measure changes in the wall thickness of the large colon in horses following surgery for large colon volvulus. The results show that a quicker return to normal wall thickness correlates with a lower rate of postoperative complications.
Objective and Methods
- The research was conducted to investigate postoperative changes in the large colon wall in horses that underwent surgery for large colon volvulus (LCV).
- The researchers used transabdominal ultrasound to measure the change in thickness of the colon wall after the surgery.
- The study hypothesised that a longer time period for the colon wall to return to its normal state (or involution) had a correlation with increased rates of postoperative complications.
- The study was prospective and involved horses brought to the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for colic-related issues.
- The horses who participated were diagnosed with LCV, had the condition surgically corrected without resection, and had anaesthetic recovery.
- Ultrasounds were performed every 6-8 hours until the colon wall returned to its normal thickness.
Results
- The time taken for colon wall involution to occur varied between the horses. Those that didn’t show signs of Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) had a significantly shorter period of colon wall involution when compared to those diagnosed with MODS.
- However, the research found that there was no significant difference in average time to colon wall involution between surviving and non-surviving horses.
Conclusions
- The data indicates that a shorter time to colon wall involution was associated with decreased post-operative complications in horses that underwent surgery for LCV without resection.
- Another key takeaway from the investigation is that ultrasound monitoring could be instrumental in identifying horses that might be at risk of developing MODS after surgery.
- The researchers recommend further studies using a larger number of horses to establish more robust findings.
Cite This Article
APA
Sheats MK, Cook VL, Jones SL, Blikslager AT, Pease AP.
(2010).
Use of ultrasound to evaluate outcome following colic surgery for equine large colon volvulus.
Equine Vet J, 42(1), 47-52.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516409X456040 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Colic / diagnostic imaging
- Colic / surgery
- Colic / veterinary
- Colonic Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Colonic Diseases / surgery
- Colonic Diseases / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Intestinal Volvulus / diagnostic imaging
- Intestinal Volvulus / surgery
- Intestinal Volvulus / veterinary
- Male
- Treatment Outcome
- Ultrasonography
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- 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).
- 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).
- Sheats MK. A Comparative Review of Equine SIRS, Sepsis, and Neutrophils. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:69.
- Ziegler AL, Freeman CK, Fogle CA, Burke MJ, Davis JL, Cook VL, Southwood LL, Blikslager AT. Multicentre, blinded, randomised clinical trial comparing the use of flunixin meglumine with firocoxib in horses with small intestinal strangulating obstruction. Equine Vet J 2019 May;51(3):329-335.
- McConachie E, Giguère S, Barton MH. Scoring System for Multiple Organ Dysfunction in Adult Horses with Acute Surgical Gastrointestinal Disease. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jul;30(4):1276-83.
- Abraham M, Reef VB, Sweeney RW, Navas de Solís C. Gastrointestinal ultrasonography of normal Standardbred neonates and frequency of asymptomatic intussusceptions. J Vet Intern Med 2014 Sep-Oct;28(5):1580-6.
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