Abdominal Ultrasonography in the Equine Patient With Acute Signs of Colic

Abdominal pain in horses is one of the most common presenting clinical signs and a major cause of mortality in horses. Rapid and effective evaluation of horses with signs of colic is necessary for prompt surgical intervention, thereby allowing for more successful outcomes. However, determining the actual cause of colic in horses is a diagnostic challenge, and the decision for selecting abdominal surgery in horses with colic is not always straightforward. Analgesic administration or stoic horses may delay necessary abdominal surgery, resulting in a decreased prognosis for survival. The decision between medical management and surgical intervention is largely made on the basis of physical examination, abdominocentesis, abdominal palpation per rectum and, most importantly, persistent signs of abdominal pain despite medical treatment. More recently, abdominal radiography and abdominal ultrasonography have become more useful in evaluating horses with abdominal pain. Several recent studies have shown that abdominal ultrasonography in the colic patient can be a very useful diagnostic tool.