Laparotomy in the foal – evaluation of 98 cases (2001–2011)

Abstract

Aim of the study is the analysis of cases of laparotomy in foals with an anamnesis of intestinal or extraintestinal disease at the Large Animal Clinic for Surgery, University of Leipzig. Clinical files of the years 2001 until 2011 were screened for cases of foals up to one year of age, which had undergone laparotomy for intestinal disease, uroperitoneum or umbilical disease. Parameters for evaluation were signalement, season of admission, diagnosis, surgical therapy, surgical complications and success of surgical therapy. 98 foals had undergone laparotomy, of which over two thirds were colts. The predominant breed were Warmbloods (70,4 %), while the predominant age was the neonate foal (59,2 %). Suckling foals represented 32,7 % of the patients, whereas weanling foals were the smallest fraction (8,2 %). Predominant diagnoses were meconium impaction (20,4 %), umbilical disease (19,4 %) and ileus of the small intestine (17,3 %). Surgical interventions were classified little invasive in 37,8 % of the cases and invasive in 44,9 %. Intra-operative death or euthanasia supra tabulam due to bad prognosis was recorded in 17,3 % of the cases. Post-operative complications occurred in 28 foals. Re-laparotomy had to be performed in 9 foals. Of the 98 foals which underwent laparotomy, 70 could be discharged from the hospital. Survival rates were 71,4 % on the basis of all cases and 86,4 % on the basis of a completed laparotomy. Highest survival rates were recorded when conglobate or meconium impaction caused the indication for surgery, while small intestinal ileus and congenital malformation were the diagnoses yielding the worst outcome.

Diagnosis, management and prognosis of small colon impactions

“…The prognosis for short‐term survival of horses treated surgically for faecalithiasis, phytobezoar‐, trichobezoar, phytotrichobezoar, or phytoconglobate is excellent (Scharner et al . 2015). For horses treated surgically for a foreign body in the small colon, the prognosis should be comparable to the outcome after enterolith removal, unless small colon segments are devitalised and require resection and anastomosis.…”