ILEOSTOMY IN CATTLE WITH FLEXIBLE T-SHAPED LATEX CANNULA

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use and postoperative complications of a T-shaped latex cannula surgically placed in the ileum of ten 18-month-old steers, with an initial mean body weight of 281.50kg. The steers were anesthetized, positioned in left lateral recumbency, and the distal small intestine was exteriorized through a right paralumbar incision. A T-latex cannula was placed into the lumen of the ileum, 10-cm from the ileocecal fold on the antimesenteric surface, and sutured to the ileum. The stem of the cannula was exteriorized in the flank, 15cm ventral to the transverse process of lumbar vertebrae and at 8cm cranial to the ventral comissure of the first surgical abdominal incision, providing good stability and security. Established cannulas were well tolerated and caused minimal fibrous tissue reaction at the site of fistulation and, in 80% of the steers, samples of ileal digesta could be collected throughout a period from 122 to 305 (171,87

± 58,71) days. Hence, this simple T-shaped latex cannula provides a good tool for obtaining samples from the ileum.

KEY-WORDS:

Ileostomy. Intestinal cannulation. Intestine. Ileum. Cattle