Obstruction of the cecocolic orifice by ileocecocolic intussusception following jejunocecostomy in a horse

: A 4-year-old Thoroughbred stallion was referred for signs of mild to moderate colic, anorexia, and decreased water intake of 3 weeks' duration. Ultrasonographic examination revealed an intussusception, the most common of which would be a cecal inversion or ileocecal intussusception. Surgical exploration identified an ileocecocolic intussusception with extension of the intussusceptum into the right ventral colon; however, the cause of the intussusception could not be identified. The intussusception could not be surgically corrected, and the horse was euthanatized. A side-to-side jejunocecostomy that had been performed previously was identified at necropsy. The ileal stump had intussuscepted into the right ventral colon and become hypertrophied, causing partial obstruction of the cecocolic orifice and clinical signs of colic. In horses requiring an ileocecal or jejunocecal anastomosis, the ileal stump may be left to slough within the cecum as part of the treatment for an irreducible ileocecal intussusception or intentionally inverted into the cecum when the ileal stump is necrotic and cannot be exteriorized and resected. Efforts should be made to minimize the size of the ileal stump to reduce the liklihood of intussusception.