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The clinical and pathological features of gastric impaction in twelve horses
A R Bird1, E J Knowles, C E Sherlock
1Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, Mereworth, UK.
Reasons For Performing Study:
Gastric impaction in the horse is poorly described in the veterinary literature.
Objectives:
To review the clinical and pathological features of gastric impaction.
Methods:
The clinical details of horses presenting with colic over a 7-year period and cases in which gastric impaction was considered to determine the outcome were reviewed. Clinical and clinicopathological data were recorded.
Results:
Twelve cases of gastric impaction were recorded (1.4% of 857 horses hospitalised for colic). Diagnosis was achieved by ultrasonographic examination, gastroscopy, exploratory celiotomy and/or post mortem examination. Five out of 12 horses were successfully treated, 5/12 were subjected to euthanasia (3 at celiotomy and 2 due to recurrence of impaction) and 2/12 died. Three out of 12 horses had spontaneous gastric rupture despite attempted treatment (one was subjected to euthanasia at celiotomy and 2 died). Post mortem examination (7 horses) revealed gross muscular thickening of the stomach wall in 6/7 horses. Histological examination revealed focal fibrosis of the stomach wall in 4/6 and focal myositis in 1/6 horses. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Gastric impaction is a rare cause of colic and affected horses can present with acute, chronic or recurrent colic in the presence or absence of other gastrointestinal disease. Spontaneous gastric rupture may occur. A proportion of affected horses have gross thickening of the muscular layers of the stomach wall.
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