[Uroperitoneum in neonatal foals - a review of the literature]

Uroperitoneum is a typical disease in newborn foals. An accumulation of urine develops in the abdominal cavity in consequence to a congenital or acquired leakage in the urinary tract. Colts are more frequently affected than fillies. The most common cause of uroperitoneum is a rupture of the dorsal urinary bladder wall. The urinary bladder is affected in 73.1 %, the urachus in 21.6 % and the ureter in 5.2 % of cases. Typical clinical signs occur 2-5 days postpartum, and encompass reduced general condition, abdominal distention, mild colic symptoms and unphysiologic micturition. Ultrasound examination in conjunction with abdominocentesis is considered as the gold standard of diagnostics. Typical laboratory findings are azotemia, metabolic acidosis as well as electrolyte imbalances, particularly hyperkalemia, hyponatriemia and hypochloridemia. Surgical treatment is the only reasonable therapy. Preoperative metabolic disorders and electrolyte abnormalities should be corrected prior to surgery. Especially hyperkalemia leads to a high potential for complications during general anesthesia. Following effective perioperative stabilization, the presence of a defect in the bladder wall or the urachus carries a good prognosis. In total, 63.6 % of the affected foals are healed. Most common complication is a recurrence of uroperitoneum caused by disruption of the suture line or an incomplete closure of the defect.