Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal with colic and fever had aorta problem - what happened?
By Archer, R M et al.·Published in New Zealand veterinary journal·2012·Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Distal aortic aneurysm presumed to be secondary to an infected umbilical artery in a foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 3-month-old female Warmblood foal was brought in for colic and fever that lasted for five days. Despite treatment, she continued to show signs of discomfort and had an elevated white blood cell count. An exploratory surgery revealed an infected remnant of the umbilical artery that had formed an aneurysm in the aorta. Unfortunately, the foal was euthanized, and further examination confirmed the presence of a large thrombus and significant inflammation. This case highlights the importance of checking for umbilical infections in young foals, as they can lead to serious complications like this one.
People also search for: foal colic symptoms · umbilical infection in foals · aortic aneurysm treatment in horses
Abstract
CASE HISTORY: A 3-month-old female Warmblood foal was presented after displaying signs of colic with pyrexia for 5 days. CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: The foal continued to show signs of colic, frequently passed urine, and was pyrexic with an elevated white blood cell count. The umbilical stalk was thickened but there was no evidence of purulent material. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an enlarged left umbilical artery remnant tightly adhered to the bladder wall. The left umbilical artery continued to an aneurysm involving the distal aorta. The foal was subject to euthanasia and post-mortem examination confirmed a spherical aortic aneurysm, in the dorsal midline caudal to the kidneys that contained a large thrombus. Histopathological examination revealed inflammation and necrosis of the tunica intima and tunica media of the left umbilical artery with suppuration and bacterial colonies evident in the periarterial tissues. DIAGNOSIS: Infected aortic aneurysm presumably caused by an umbilical artery infection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A previously undetected umbilical infection appears to have resulted in an unusual delayed complication causing signs of colic in a foal. Veterinarians should be aware of this condition, and the possibility that it may be a cause of signs of colic in foals. Diagnosis based on ultrasonography should be possible, but may require sedation, visceral analgesia and careful examination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22175433/