USE OF COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY TO EVALUATE THE INTESTINAL-TRACT OF ADULT LLAMAS

In the llama, signs of colic are obscure and may be exhibited as persi stent sternal recumbency and anorexia even in the presence of a surgic al lesion. Diagnostic methods for evaluation of abdominal disorders ar e limited. As a result, surgical intervention may be prolonged and inc rease the risk of mortality and postoperative complications. The objec tive of this study was to determine the feasibility of computed tomogr aphy to evaluate the llama intestinal tract. Eighteen hours prior to t he computed tomography scan, six llamas were given barium sulfate (15% ) via an orogastric tube. Following induction of general anesthesia, t he llamas were positioned in sternal recumbency, and 10 mm contiguous slices were obtained from the diaphragm to the tuber ischiadicum. Stru ctures that were consistently identified included the first, second, a nd third compartments (C1, 2, and 3), small intestine, spiral colon, a nd ascending colon. C1 was easily identified in the cranial aspect of the abdomen due to its large size relative to the other compartments a nd characteristic saccules. C2 was located cranial, ventral, and to th e right of C1, while C3 was visualized as a tubular structure to the r ight and ventral to C1 and C2, C3 was traced caudally until it turned dorsally and continued cranially to a dilated ampulla in the right cra nial abdomen delineating the entrance to the small intestine. The spir al colon was identified consistently in the left ventral caudal abdome n. Structures that could not be conclusively identified included the c ecum and mesenteric lymph nodes. Computed tomography allowed a consist ent evaluation of the major intestinal structures associated with coli c in the llama. Thus, computed tomography is a potentially valuable no ninvasive diagnostic tool to effectively evaluate the abdominal cavity and differentiate medical from surgical lesions in the llama.