Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical repair of a diaphragmatic hernia in a racehorse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1999
- Authors:
- Dabareiner, R M & White, N A
- Affiliation:
- Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse was having severe belly pain, so veterinarians looked inside its abdomen. They found a tear in the diaphragm (the muscle that helps with breathing) and some of the small intestine had moved into the chest area. Initially, they didn't fix the tear because it seemed to be an old injury, but when the horse got sick again, they had to operate a second time. This time, they repaired the tear using a special mesh and staples, and the horse healed well enough to return to racing and jumping. Overall, the surgery was successful in fixing the horse's problem.
Abstract
A 9-year-old Thoroughbred was evaluated for clinical signs of acute abdominal pain. During laparotomy, a rent in the diaphragm and herniation of the small intestine into the thoracic cavity were detected. Because edges of the rent were smooth and fibrous, which suggested the defect was chronic, the abdomen was closed without repairing the rent. After recurrence of clinical signs, a second laparotomy was performed, during which the intestines were found to have reherniated. The diaphragmatic rent was repaired, using a polypropylene mesh secured with stainless steel staples. The horse recovered and subsequently returned to racing and jumping. A diaphragmatic hernia should be suspected in horses that have moderate to severe signs of abdominal pain for which a definitive cause can not be identified. Thoracic ultrasonography or radiography can be used to confirm the hernia. Diaphragmatic hernias in horses can be successfully repaired using mesh implants secured with staples.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10340079/