Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ablation of the nephrosplenic space for treatment of recurring left dorsal displacement of the large colon in a racehorse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1999
- Authors:
- Zekas, L J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was diagnosed with a condition where part of his large intestine moved to an abnormal position, which is known as left dorsal displacement of the large colon. Initial treatments, including exercise and anesthesia, didn't work, and after surgery to reposition the colon, the problem came back just four days later. To address this, the veterinarians performed a procedure to close off the area around the spleen, which was done through the side of the horse. A year later, the horse showed no further signs of discomfort and was able to return to racing. This method of closing off the nephrosplenic space seems to be effective for preventing this issue in athletic horses.
Abstract
Left dorsal displacement of the large colon was diagnosed in a 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Conservative treatment that included lunging after administration of phenylephrine and rolling while under general anesthesia was not successful. The displaced segment of colon was reduced surgically through a ventral midline incision, but displacement recurred 4 days after surgery. Ablation of the nephrosplenic space by suturing the nephrosplenic ligament to the splenic capsule was performed through the left flank. At followup 1 year after surgery, the horse had not had further signs of colic and had returned to racing. Other methods to prevent large colon displacement, including colon resection and colopexy, are not recommended for athletic horses. Ablation of the nephrosplenic space, however, may be efficacious.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10319180/