Evaluation of plasma muscle enzyme activity as an indicator of lesion characteristics and prognosis in horses undergoing celiotomy for acute gastrointestinal pain.
Authors: Krueger Clarisa R, Ruple-Czerniak Audrey, Hackett Eileen S
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary When horses present with acute colic requiring surgical exploration, elevated muscle enzymes are commonly observed, yet their diagnostic and prognostic value remains unclear. Krueger and colleagues examined 76 horses undergoing celiotomy for acute gastrointestinal pain, measuring pre-operative plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) to determine whether elevation patterns correlate with lesion location (small versus large intestine), lesion type (strangulating versus non-strangulating), and post-operative survival. The researchers found that whilst muscle enzyme elevations occurred frequently in surgical colic cases, neither AST nor CK activity reliably predicted specific lesion characteristics or distinguished between strangulating and non-strangulating pathology; however, increased CK was associated with non-survival, suggesting myocellular injury from prolonged ischaemia or shock may carry prognostic weight. These findings indicate that whilst muscle enzyme elevations warrant serious consideration in colic cases, they should not be interpreted as specific indicators of lesion type and location—instead serving as a general marker of disease severity and systemic compromise. For practitioners involved in pre-operative assessment and surgical decision-making, enzyme values may offer prognostic insight but require contextualisation within clinical examination, peritoneal fluid analysis, and imaging findings rather than used as standalone diagnostic indicators.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Elevated muscle enzymes in colicky horses undergoing surgery should not be used as a specific indicator of whether the lesion is strangulating or nonstrangulating, or its location
- •Muscle enzyme activity alone has limited diagnostic value for characterizing intestinal lesion type — clinical examination and imaging remain essential
- •Consider muscle enzyme results as part of overall clinical assessment rather than a definitive prognostic indicator for acute gastrointestinal cases
Key Findings
- •Plasma muscle enzyme activity increases in horses undergoing celiotomy for acute gastrointestinal pain but does not correlate specifically with lesion type (strangulating vs nonstrangulating)
- •Muscle enzyme elevation is not specific to lesion location (small versus large intestine)
- •Study evaluated whether pre-operative muscle enzyme activities impact prognosis for survival in acute colicky horses