Semester of Graduation

Fall 2024

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Veterinary Clinical Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of calprotectin, a protein released by activated leukocytes during inflammation, in the detection of gastrointestinal ischemia in horses with signs of abdominal pain (colic). Additionally, one-layer end-to-end anastomoses of the descending colon were critically evaluated in comparison to two-layer closures. For the calprotectin portion of the study, samples were obtained from ten control horses and nineteen clinical cases assigned to three treatment groups (non-strangulating, strangulating small intestinal, or strangulating large intestinal lesions). Objective data was collected from each patient, and calprotectin concentration in serum and peritoneal fluid was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Comparison of anastomotic constructs was conducted using specimens from eight horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to the study, with 32 total segments assigned to a control (n=8), one-layer (n=12), or two-layer group (n=12). Time to completion, luminal diameter, and bursting pressure were evaluated. A mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze pressure, time, and diameter with treatment, length, segment order, and their interactions as the fixed effects and each horse as the random effect. For calprotectin, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare clinical cases with controls and among lesion categories, and correlations were assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Calprotectin concentrations in peritoneal fluid (P=0.0003) and serum (P=0.0061) were significantly increased in control samples compared to treatment groups. No significant differences in calprotectin levels were detected across treatment groups. One-layer closures were significantly faster to complete (P=0.03) and resulted in less luminal reduction than two-layer closures (P=0.01). Bursting pressure was significantly increased in the two-layer group compared to one-layer closures (P=0.01); however, failure of all but one of the anastomoses remote from the suture line precluded significant correlation of bursting pressure to anastomotic strength. Future study designs are aimed at metrics which more directly evaluate anastomotic strength prior to clinical recommendation of one-layer closures. Additional validation of the calprotectin ELISA as well as obtainment of a larger strangulating lesion group are warranted prior to further determination of the utility of calprotectin in detection of intestinal ischemia

Date

11-15-2024

Committee Chair

Leise, Britta S

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