Loop colostomy for treatment of grade-3 rectal tears in horses: seven cases (1983-1994)

Abstract

Objective— To determine the feasibility of performing a single-incision loop colostomy for treatment of grade-3 rectal tears in horses. Design— Retrospective case series. Animals— Seven adult horses with grade-3 rectal tears. Procedure— A single-incision loop colostomy was performed with horses under general anesthesia (n = 6) or while restrained in standing stocks (n = 1). The rectal tear was lavaged via an endoscope. The colostomy was resected after the rectal tear healed. Results— Rectal tears ranged from 4 to 10 cm in diameter and were > 25 cm proximal to the anus. All horses survived colostomy surgery. One horse was euthanatized at the request of the owner 1 day after surgery. Six horses underwent colostomy resection 13 to 30 days after colostomy. All horses had evidence of atrophy of the distal portion of the small colon, predisposing to impaction at the small colon anastomosis in 2 horses. One horse was euthanatized while hospitalized because of severe recurrent colic. Five horses were discharged from the hospital 31 to 45 days after admission. One horse was euthanatized 60 months after discharge from the hospital because of severe colic, and 4 horses were alive at the time of follow-up evaluation (3 to 12 months after discharge). Clinical implications— The prognosis for horses with grade-3 rectal tears treated by colostomy appears to be favorable.