Incarceration of the caecum through a rent in the gastrosplenic ligament

Summary A 3‐year‐old Thoroughbred gelding presented with acute signs of colic and tachycardia. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed a viscus visible on the left and right sides of the cranioventral abdomen with a mural thickness of up to 1.6 cm. Exploratory laparotomy was performed under general anaesthesia. This revealed that the caecum was incarcerated through a rent in the gastrosplenic ligament, and the caecal apex was in the left caudal abdomen. The ventral aspect of the gastrosplenic ligament was ligated and transected. The caecum was freed, and normal orientation confirmed. The horse recovered uneventfully from surgery. Caecal mural thickness was monitored using daily ultrasonography, until normal. The horse was discharged from the hospital 11 days post‐operatively. Five months later, the horse returned to race training.