Gastric Ulceration

Summary: Ulcers can be of great importance to foals, performance horses, horses with chronic orthopaedic problems and to other horses with illness requiring medication with non-steroidal pain relief. Gastroscopy is so important in performance horses because it allows us to visualise the stomach [saccus cecus, cardia (around the oesophagus), non-glandular (squamous) mucosa circumferentially above the margo plicatus (i.e. the margin of squamous meeting glandular mucosae), glandular mucosa including glandular fundus and pylorus]. We can then go into the duodenum on most horses. Then as we retract the gastroscope the oesophagus is examined thoroughly, as ulceration is sometimes seen in the distal 10-20 cm (usually if the cardia is affected with moderately severe ulceration).

TERMINOLOGY – to explain to your clients:

Endoscopy

This is the proper term for “scoping”, which is when vets insert a tube (“scope”) into the nasal passage of the horse or insert the “scope” into the urethra, vagina or even rectum of the horse. The “scope” can be connected to a TV in the newer models or vets can look through a small eyepiece to see the picture of internal structures. This is a marvellous diagnostic tool.

Oesophagoscopy

= scoping the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach (the oesophagus)
This is the term for when the “scope” is introduced through the nasal passage and into the throat (nasopharynx) and then down into the oesophagus. This is useful if horses have “choke” (oesophageal obstruction) or after a choke. It is also useful if there are ulcers in the oesophagus (which is not as common as in humans).

Gastroscopy

This means endoscopy of the stomach. It requires a very long endoscope for an adult horse – a minimum of 2 metres (but that will rarely reach the bottom of the pylorus) and more frequently a 3 metre endoscope.