Introduction

• Enterotomy is a basic technique of intestinal surgery used to access the lumen of the intestine.
• This description is for the standing, sedated bovine via flank laparotomy.
• If full anesthesia and surgical facilities are available then dorsal recumbency may improve access to abdominal viscera but carries associated risks of anesthesia, bloat, wound breakdown, etc.

Uses

• Removal of foreign bodies.
• Removal of gas, fluid and ingesta.

Advantages

• A number of enterotomy techniques are available, minimal consumables, technically easy.

Disadvantages

• Abdominal contamination, stricture at the site of enterotomy, dehiscence.

Requirements

Preparation

Procedure

Aftercare

Outcomes

Prognosis

• Depends on primary lesion.
• Enterotomy is performed to facilitate management of condition, therefore prognosis based on enterotomy alone is not possible.

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed Papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Anderson D E (2008) Surgical diseases of the small intestine. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 24 (2), 383-401 PubMed.
• Edmundson M A (2008) Local and regional anesthesia in cattle. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 24 (2), 211-226 PubMed.
• Meylan M (2008) Surgery of the bovine large intestine. Vet  Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 24 (3), 479-496 PubMed.
• Niehauss A J (2008) Rumentomy. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim  Pract 24 (2), 341-347 PubMed.
• Niehaus A J (2008) Surgery of the abomasum. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 24 (2), 349-358 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• Wood P & Smith R (online) Flank Laparotomy. In: Vetlexicon Bovis. Vetstream Ltd, UK. Website: www.vetlexicon.com.
• Hendrickson D A & Baird A N (2013) Flank Laparotomy and Abdominal Exploration. In: Turner and McIlwraith’s Techniques in Large Animal Surgery. Wiley Blackwell, USA. pp 212-215.
• Scott P, Penny C D & Macrae A I (2011) Diseases of the Digestive Tract and Abdomen. In: Cattle Medicine. Manson Publishing, UK. pp 59-93.
• Fubini S L & Ducharme N G (2004) Farm Animal Surgery. Eds: Fathman E M. Saunders, USA. pp 184-281.
• Noakes D E, Parkinson T J & England G C W (2001) The Caesarean Operation. In: Arthur’s Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics. Eds: Bureau S. Saunders, USA. pp 341-363.