Introduction
Colic due to large colon displacement is one of the leading causes for equine hospitalization and surgery, yet there is not an adequate model to study the pathophysiology of this condition.
The Goal
Develop a model to track the migration of the equine large colon in situ.
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The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a safe and reliable model to monitor colonic movement in relation to various stimuli. With the development of this model, future studies can be conducted in larger populations of horses to help identify environmental and dietary risk factors and preventative methods for colic due to large colon displacement.
Specific Aims
To determine if the implanted microchips will affect normal gastrointestinal function and motility
To determine if the implanted microchips will be detectable by the low radio frequency scanner only when the microchips are immediately adjacent to the body wall, thus effectively identifying the location of the colon within the abdomen
To determine if the implanted microchips will maintain their position within the bowel wall
Methods
A horse with no history of gastrointestinal disease underwent a ventral midline celiotomy to implant twelve bioinert microchips into the subserosa at predetermined locations within the large colon and cecum. A RFID scanner was used to monitor the location of the colon via transcutaneous identification 1-5 times daily for a one-month period. Following humane euthanasia, postmortem examination of the horse was performed to assess microchip implantation sites for migration and histologic assessment.
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Results
Eleven out of the twelve implanted microchips were successfully identified transcutaneously via a low radio frequency scanner at occurrences as high as 100%. The most frequently identified segments of the colon were the sternal flexure, ventral band of the right ventral colon and the lateral band of the cecum. Microchips implanted into subserosa of the equine large colon can be used as a means of identifying the approximate location of equine large colon via transcutaneous identification by a RFID scanner.