EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION / AE / MAY 2013 247 Original Article Management and complications associated with treatment of cervical oesophageal perforations in horses K. Kruger and J. L. Davis* Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA. *Corresponding author email:
[email protected] Keywords: horse; oesophageal perforation; enteral nutrition Summary depressed, tachycardic (84 beats/min), tachypnoeic (54 Six horses were evaluated for colic and anorexia, choke or breaths/min) and dehydrated (capillary refill time 3 s, suspected oesophageal rupture with and without tracheal prolonged skin tent). Complete blood count (CBC) revealed laceration. Clinical findings were variable, but a painful leucopenia characterised by neutropenia with a left shift, and ventral neck swelling was noted in all cases. Two of the horses polycythaemia. Serum chemistry revealed hypocalcaemia. had signs of dehydration and sepsis. Additional findings Palpation per rectum and abdominal ultrasound were within included evidence of previous trauma over the trachea and normal limits. A mild swelling was noted on the ventral aspect oesophagus, ventral neck abscessation, choke and aspiration of the neck that was painful to palpation. During ultrasound pneumonia. A diagnosis of oesophageal perforation was and radiography of the neck, gas was evident in the soft made using endoscopy. Two horses were subjected to tissues surrounding the trachea and oesophagus. Endoscopy euthanasia without treatment. All horses where treatment was revealed a 5 cm long full thickness linear perforation of the attempted received debridement of the oesophageal ventral oesophagus in the mid-cervical region. perforation and surrounding tissues with or without surgical Standing surgery was performed under sedation and local closure of the oesophageal defect.