Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Small-intestinal volvulus as a complication of acquired inguinal hernia in two horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1991
- Authors:
- Moll, H D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Surgery and Medicine
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two horses were found to have a twist in their small intestine, which happened as a complication of an inguinal hernia (a type of hernia in the groin area). After the hernia was treated in the first horse, it still showed signs of pain, and a second surgery revealed that the twisted intestine was dead, leading to the decision to euthanize the horse. The second horse underwent surgery that combined two approaches, and the twist was successfully diagnosed and corrected. The study suggests that when a horse has an inguinal hernia that causes a blockage in the small intestine, a thorough abdominal examination should be done to find and fix any problems. In this case, the treatment for the second horse worked well.
Abstract
Volvulus of the small intestine was diagnosed as a complication of acquired inguinal herniation in 2 horses. One of the horses continued to have signs of pain after reduction of the hernia. The volvulus was diagnosed at a second surgery, but the intestine was devitalized, and the horse was euthanatized. Ventral midline exploratory surgery was performed on the second horse, in conjunction with an inguinal approach. The small-intestinal volvulus was diagnosed and corrected at this time. It is suggested that ventral midline abdominal exploration be performed when acquired inguinal herniation causes acute small-intestinal obstruction in horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2061159/