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Results of these studies have demonstrated that colopexy of the left large colon to the abdominal wall is a relatively simple and quick procedure that is permanent 1 year after surgery. The technique does not appear to be associated with long-term weight loss or abdominal pain after surgery. It has been used in pregnant mares, both experimentally and clinically, without apparent complications. In addition, horses used for pleasure-riding and show hunting have returned to performance and have not had complications. Large colon resection is a useful technique, especially for animals with strangulating large intestinal lesions. The surgeon must decide whether a technique to prevent recurrence should be performed at the first surgery or whether it should be performed only in horses with recurrence of these lesions. Until a large number of large colon resections or colopexies are performed on horses either at the initial surgery or after recurrence, it is impossible to predict the true efficacy of these techniques.

Introduction: Pneumatic colon injury is a severe condition rarely seen at general surgery departments that can pose some diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainty. Patients and methods: A case study and review of the literature. Results: A young male was admitted to our intensive care department after being attacked by his co-workers and inflated with a construction compressor. The damage to the colon revealed during the surgery was unexpectedly massive and exceeded the pre-operative CT scans. Our patient had to undergo a subtotal colectomy and recovered well after the surgery. Conclusion: In pneumatic colon injury and emergency surgery should be the method of choice, as the damage to the large colon is often devastating. A prompt CT scan can offer more accurate information on its extent. However, it should only be done if readily available and not delaying the operation procedure.

Left dorsal displacement of the large colon is a common cause of colic in horses. Treatment consists of surgery, rolling the horse under general anesthesia or intravenous administration of phenylephrine. Treatment with phenylephrine, an α1-adrenergic drug, is often associated with sweating and trembling. Especially in horses of more than 15 years old, fatal hemorrhage may occur due to hemothorax or hemoperitoneum. Therefore, phenylephrine treatment is generally not given in horses over 15 years of age. In this report, severe epistaxis in a six-year-old Quarter horse is described after intravenous administration of 22.5 μg/kg BW phenylephrine, and it is highlighted that hemorrhage may also occur in younger horses.

An abnormal mesocolic attachment which resulted in a stellate malformation of the left colon adjacent to the pelvic flexure was suspected to be the cause of intermittent episodes of colic in a horse. Resection and side-to-side anastomosis of the large colon at the level of the sternal and diaphragmatic flexures was performed and the horse made an uneventful recovery from surgery. Only minor serum biochemical changes were observed in the initial postoperative period. The abnormal mesocolic attachment was probably a congenital anomaly.

The equine large colon is the major cellulose-fermentation locus of these species. The area of juncture of the ventral and dorsal divisions of the equine large colon was characterized, in 13 chronic unanesthetized animals and in 25 in vitro preparations, as an area of resistance to aboral flow. This is a probable pacemaker area. The reservoir function of this part of the colon is apparently facilitated by the presence of a pacemaker at this level. There was a general rise in recorded intraluminal pressure peaks during the first hour of feeding. This characteristic was not altered after resection of the extrinsic nerve supply. Electrical stimulation of the extrinsic nerve net in conscious animals at times mimicked the groups of intraluminal pressure peaks seen at the beginning of feeding.

In this study of fat metabolism, with a consideration of the nitrogen balance in a case of congenital absence of the bile-ducts, we were especially concerned from a clinical standpoint, not only with the fat and nitrogen disposition in the body, but with the activity of the pancreatic ferments. In this, one of us (Koplik) was fortunate in having the active co-operation of a colleague skilled in studies of such a nature. From a clinical standpoint it is of importance to ascertain whether the ducts are stenosed or absent, or practically occluded. There are cases of stenosis of the bile-ducts in which considerable bile passes into the intestine; such a case we have seen lately. In this case also there was the anomaly of a very large colon (Hirschsprung). In such a case metabolism studies would be of uncertain value on account of the abnormal state of the large, or

A critical consideration of diseases of the large colon supports our belief that whenever a barium enema or sigmoidoscopy is indicated for diagnosis, the other is equally desirable. Both procedures have overlapping and supplementary spheres of applicability. The direct visualization and easy access afforded by the use of the sigmoidoscope is of definitive value. Beyond the view offered by the use of the sigmoidoscope, barium studies with fluoroscopy and roentgenography are necessary. Barium studies of the rectum contribute little to diagnosis. 1 Inflammatory and ulcerative disease of the large colon may, in the early stages, be confined to the rectum. In idiopathic ulcerative colitis, the rectum and lower sigmoid colon are involved in 95% of the cases of this disease. A large percentage, 60 to 75%, of colonic tumors occur in areas of the lower bowel accessible to the sigmoidoscope. 2 Spastic phenomena and functional colitis involving the sigmoid and

Background Ultrasonography is an important diagnostic tool in the investigation of abdominal disease in the horse. Several factors may affect the ability to image different structures within the abdomen. The aim of the study was to describe the repeatability of identification of abdominal structures in normal horses using a detailed ultrasonographic examination technique and using a focused, limited preparation technique. Methods A detailed abdominal ultrasound examination was performed in five normal horses, repeated on five occasions (total of 25 examinations). The abdomen was divided into ten different imaging sites, and structures identified in each site were recorded. Five imaging sites were then selected for a single focused ultrasound examination in 20 normal horses. Limited patient preparation was performed. Structures were recorded as ‘identified’ if ultrasonographic features could be distinguished. The location of organs and their frequency of identification were recorded. Data from both phases were analysed to determine repeatability of identification of structures in each examination (irrespective of imaging site), and for each imaging site. Results Caecum, colon, spleen, liver and right kidney were repeatably identified using the detailed technique, and had defined locations. Large colon and right kidney were identified in 100% of examinations with both techniques. Liver, spleen, caecum, duodenum and other small intestine were identified more frequently with the detailed examination. Small intestine was most frequently identified in the ventral abdomen, its identification varied markedly within and between horses, and required repeated examinations in some horses. Left kidney could not be identified in every horse using either technique. Sacculated colon was identified in all ventral sites, and was infrequently identified in dorsal sites. Conclusions Caecum, sacculated large intestine, spleen, liver and right kidney were consistently identified with both techniques. There were some normal variations which should be considered when interpreting ultrasonographic findings in clinical cases: left kidney was not always identified, sacculated colon was occasionally identified in dorsal flank sites. Multiple imaging sites and repeated examinations may be required to identify small intestine. A focused examination identified most key structures, but has some limitations compared to a detailed examination.