This trial was carried out in order to compare the healing process of the descending colon in horses, submitted to two distinctive suture techniques - appositional pattern and inverting pattern. Fifteen healthy horses were used and the surgical intervention was accomplished with the animals in right lateral recumbency, under inhalatory anesthesia. The abdominal cavity approach was done by the left flank, and after exteriorization of the descending colon, two enterotomies, 5cm long, and 20cm apart one from each other were done. The horses were randomly distributed into five groups of three animals each. After a humane method of euthanasia, necropsies were performed with complete inspection and documentation of the sutured areas of the descending colon on postoperative days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 35, one group at each time. At necropsy, no alterations were noticed in abdominal cavity and organs although some adhesions were observed. In nine horses adhesions at the appositional pattern suture (60.0% ± 12.6) were found. Four horses presented adhesions at the inverting suture (26.6% ± 11.4). No signs of intestinal flow impairment were found. Regarding the histopathological findings, the majority of the wounds were almost completely healed on day seven after surgery. The suture thread poliglactin 910, used in both suture types, worked well during and after surgery, but it is believed that it was the cause of the observed granulomatous inflammatory reaction.
Equine; suture; descending colon; enterorhaphy
