INTUSSUSCEPTION IN CATTLE - 336 CASES (1964-1993)

Objective--To evaluate risk factors and to describe clinical and labor atory findings, surgical management, and postoperative outcome for cat tle with intussusception. Design-Hospital-based, case-control epidemio logic study and retrospective case series. Sample Population--Medical records of cattle admitted to 17 veterinary medical teaching hospitals in North America. Procedure-Epidemiologic analysis of demographic dat a and detailed analysis of medical records for selected cattle. Result s--336 cattle with intussusception were identified, 281 had small inte stinal, 7 had ileocolic, 12 had cecocolic, and 36 had colocolic intuss usceptions. Sex and season were not significantly associated with catt le developing intussusception, whereas calves < 2 months old were at g reater risk of developing small intestinal intussusception than older cattle. Analysis of medical records of 57 cattle with intussusception revealed that these cattle were mildly hyponatremic, hy pochloremic, h ypocalcemic, azotemic, and hyperglycemic. Right flank laparotomy with a cow in a standing position, followed by intestinal resection and end -to-end anastomosis, was the most common means of surgical correction. Overall survival rate (20/57; 35%) and postoperative survival rate (2 0/46; 43%) for cattle with intussusception were much lower than previo usly reported. Clinical Implications--Although rare in cattle, intussu sception was most common in calves < 2 months old. Survival rate for c attle treated for intussusception was low (< 50%).