Evaluation of equine cecal motility by ausculation, ultrasonography and electrointestinography after jejunocecostomy.
OBJECTIVE
Horses often suffer reduced intestinal motility after jejunocecostomy. Therefore, accurate evaluation of intestinal motility is important for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intestinal motility in horses after jejunocecostomy using three different methods, i.e. auscultation, ultrasonography and electrointestinography.


METHODS
Six healthy thoroughbreds were used in this study. They were subjected to jejunocecostomy.


METHODS
Bowel sounds in the right paralumbar fossa were assigned a score of 0-3 for intestinal motility evaluation by auscultation, and the number of cecal contractions during a 3-min period were counted by ultrasonography. Electrointestinography (EIG) was used to measure percutaneous potential of the cecum.


RESULTS
We identified three specific postoperative periods: the period of reduced intestinal motility (postoperative day 1 to day 2), in which intestinal motility declined, the unstable period (day 3 to day 7), in which intestinal motility partially recovered, and the full recovery period (day 8 to day 31), in which intestinal motility returned to preoperative state. Careful management was found to be especially important during the period of reduced intestinal motility and the unstable period. We found that, in healthy horses that underwent jejunocecostomy, it takes approximately one month for the cecum to return to normal motility patterns observed before surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
We have shown in this study that evaluation of intestinal motility after jejunocecostomy in horses by EIG is more objective and provides more details than evaluation by auscultation or ultrasonography.
Sasaki
Naoki
N
Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. naoki@obihiro.ac.jp
Murata
Aya
A
Lee
Inhyung
I
Yamada
Haruo
H
D000818:Animals; D001314:Auscultation / Q000662:veterinary*; D002431:Cecostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D002432:Cecum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D006262:Health; D006736:Horses / Q000601:surgery*; D007582:Jejunostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography