Prevalence, postoperative complications and survival rates of horses with mesenteric rents undergoing colic surgery:: 13 cases

This retrospective study evaluates prevalence, survival rate and the occurrence of postoperative complications in horses with colic due to strangulating obstructions of the small intestine through mesenteric rents. Data was obtained from medical archives and telephone interrogation. Patients with mesenteric rents as a colic cause (group MH (n = 13)) were compared to all other surgical colic cases (group colicsg (n = 69 1)) and all surgical colic patients with strangulation obstructions of the small intestine other than mesenteric rents (group Sl (n 171)). Colic caused by strangulations of intestine in mesenteric rents had a prevalence of 0.7% of all colic patients. Of the 13 surgical cases three were humanely destroyed intraoperatively, three others during the first ten postoperative days. Therefore short time survival rate until discharge from the clinic was 54% in group MH (n = 7). All horses of group MH (100%) developed complications postoperatively (thrombophlebitis n = 4, postoperative ileus n = 4, incisional infection n = 2, colic n = 2, colitis n- 1, peritonitis n = 1, diaphragmatic hernia n 1). Compared to group Sl (67%) and group colicsg (62%) this difference in the frequency of occurring complications was significant. Horses developing a paralytic ileus postoperatively had significantly lower survival rates than patients without this particular complication. Thus, horses with strangulating obstructions of the small intestine are in greater risk to develop postoperative complications and have a worse short term prognosis after colic surgery than horses with colic of other pathogenesis.