Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Obstruction of the cecocolic orifice by ileocecocolic intussusception following jejunocecostomy in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2003
- Authors:
- Erkert, Ronald S et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old Thoroughbred stallion was taken to the vet because he had been showing signs of mild to moderate belly pain, eating less than usual, and drinking less water for three weeks. An ultrasound showed that part of his intestine had folded into itself, which is known as intussusception. During surgery, the vets found that this folding had caused a blockage in the horse's intestines, but they couldn't fix it, and sadly, the horse was put to sleep. After he passed away, it was discovered that a previous surgery had left a piece of his intestine that had become enlarged and was causing the blockage. This case highlights the importance of keeping the leftover intestine small during surgery to help prevent such complications.
Abstract
A 4-year-old Thoroughbred stallion was referred for signs of mild to moderate colic, anorexia, and decreased water intake of 3 weeks' duration. Ultrasonographic examination revealed an intussusception, the most common of which would be a cecal inversion or ileocecal intussusception. Surgical exploration identified an ileocecocolic intussusception with extension of the intussusceptum into the right ventral colon; however, the cause of the intussusception could not be identified. The intussusception could not be surgically corrected, and the horse was euthanatized. A side-to-side jejunocecostomy that had been performed previously was identified at necropsy. The ileal stump had intussuscepted into the right ventral colon and become hypertrophied, causing partial obstruction of the cecocolic orifice and clinical signs of colic. In horses requiring an ileocecal or jejunocecal anastomosis, the ileal stump may be left to slough within the cecum as part of the treatment for an irreducible ileocecal intussusception or intentionally inverted into the cecum when the ileal stump is necrotic and cannot be exteriorized and resected. Efforts should be made to minimize the size of the ileal stump to reduce the liklihood of intussusception.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12830869/