Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Left dorsal displacement of the colon with splenic adhesions in three horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Moll, H D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three horses were taken in for surgery because they were showing signs of severe belly pain. During the surgery, the vets found that all three had a condition called left dorsal displacement of the large colon, which means part of their intestines had moved to an unusual position. This situation was made more complicated by scar tissue that had formed between the spleen and the body wall, likely due to previous surgeries for colic (a type of belly pain). Because of these adhesions, the usual method to fix the colon's position wouldn't work. The outcome of the surgeries was not detailed, but the complications suggest that treatment may have been challenging.
Abstract
Three horses underwent exploratory celiotomy because of signs of acute abdominal pain. At surgery, all horses were diagnosed as having left dorsal displacement of the large colon. Each surgery was complicated by fibrous adhesions of the spleen to the body wall. All horses had previously undergone abdominal surgery for colic. In these cases, it appeared that the left large colon displaced cranially and then entered the renosplenic space from a cranial to caudal direction. Adhesions of the spleen to the body wall would prevent correction of left dorsal displacement of the large colon by the rolling technique.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8226221/