Pathologic-anatomical findings of perforating abomasal ulcers in calves

Pathologic-anatomical findings of perforating abomasal ulcers in calves The pathologic-anatomical findings of 30 calves (up to the age of six months) with perforating abomasal ulcers were analysed in a prospective study. The majority of the calves was between six and 12 weeks old. A displacement of the abomasum to the left side existed in 70% (21/30) of the patients with a perforating abomasal ulcer, one calf had a displacement of the abomasum to the right side. A total of 42 perforated abomasal ulcers was found in the 30 calves. Two thirds of the animals only had one perforating ulcer. Eight patients had two and two calves had even three perforations. The perforatin g abomasal ulcers of 26 of the 30 calves were located exclusively in the py loric region close to the corpus. In four calves a total of six ulcers was found only in the corpus. The majority of the perforations (29/42) was loca ted at the insertion of the omentum alongside the greater curvature of the abomasum. In 24 cases (out of 36 ulcers located in the pyloric region) the ulcers per forated into the omental bursa. Ten ulcers perforated towards the left abdo minal wall (each combined with a displacement of the abomasum to the left s ide). In three of these cases the perforation had already reached the subcu tis of the left side. Only two ulcers of the pyloric region perforated into the free abdominal cavity. Five of the six ulcers located in the corpus broke through towards the abdo minal wall and one into the free abdominal cavity. 25 calves had additional non-perforating ulcers in the abomasum. The majori ty of them was deep and existed in multiple numbers. Their extension varied between pin and palm size. In 29 of the 42 cases the perforation was locat ed inside a bigger deep Weer. The edges of such deep ulcers were bulged, ov erhanging and rounded. Most of them showed terraced steps towards the perfo ration.