Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with severe abdominal pain and low blood sugar after surgery
By Davis, D M et al.·Published in The Cornell veterinarian·1992·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypoglycemia and hepatic ischemic necrosis after small intestinal incarceration through the epiploic foramen in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 16-year-old stallion was taken to the veterinary hospital because he was experiencing severe abdominal pain. After examining him and running tests, the veterinarians discovered that a part of his small intestine was trapped, causing a blockage. During surgery, they were able to remove the damaged section of the intestine, but afterward, the horse developed low blood sugar and unfortunately died despite emergency care. A post-mortem exam revealed a large blood clot in a vein near the trapped intestine and significant damage to the liver. These complications are new findings related to this type of intestinal blockage and may help explain why this condition can be so deadly.
Abstract
A 16-year-old stallion was presented to the Louisiana State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for evaluation of acute abdominal pain. Physical examination and diagnostic procedures indicated a strangulating obstruction of the small intestine. At exploratory celiotomy, a strangulating incarceration of the jejunum through the epiploic foramen was found. The incarcerated small intestine was reduced, then resection of the nonviable bowel and anastomosis performed. After surgery, the horse exhibited clinical signs and laboratory findings associated with hypoglycemia and died in spite of emergency treatment. On post-mortem examination, a large thrombus was present in the portal vein at the level of the epiploic foramen and the liver had multiple large infarcted areas. The post-operative signs of hypoglycemia and necropsy findings of widespread hepatic ischemic necrosis are complications of epiploic foramen incarceration of the small intestine not previously reported and may in part explain the high mortality rate described for this lesion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1623731/