Intrabladder pressure as predictor of intra-abdominal pressure in horses.
Authors: de Paula Vanessa B, Canola Paulo A, Rivera Gabriela G, Z Filho Dárcio, Amaral Gabriel P D, Ferraz Guilherme C, Ferraudo Antônio S, Canola Júlio C
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Intrabladder Pressure as a Predictor of Intra-abdominal Pressure in Horses Monitoring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is clinically valuable for assessing colic severity and post-operative complications in horses, yet direct measurement via abdominocentesis is invasive and impractical for routine use; this Brazilian study investigated whether intrabladder pressure (IBP) could serve as a reliable non-invasive surrogate. Twenty adult horses underwent simultaneous direct IAP measurement (via abdominal fluid sampling) and IBP recording (via catheter) across different body positions and bladder distension volumes, with readings taken at both end-inspiration and end-expiration. Body position proved critical: dorsal recumbency showed no correlation between the two pressures at any point in the respiratory cycle, making it unsuitable for indirect IAP assessment, whilst left lateral recumbency with the bladder distended to 50 ml produced strong correlations with no fixed or proportional bias, allowing reliable IBP-based IAP estimation regardless of whether measurements were taken at inspiration or expiration. For equine practitioners, these findings suggest that bladder catheterisation could potentially facilitate non-invasive IAP monitoring in anaesthetised or recumbent patients—a meaningful advance for colic diagnosis and post-operative surveillance—provided strict attention is paid to positioning (left lateral only) and adequate bladder filling (50 ml minimum) to prevent catheter tip occlusion against the bladder wall.
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Practical Takeaways
- •To monitor abdominal pressure clinically, position horses in left lateral recumbency with bladder catheter distended to 50 ml — avoid dorsal recumbency as pressure readings become unreliable
- •Readings can be taken at either end-inspiration or end-expiration when using the standardized protocol, simplifying clinical application
- •This technique offers a practical non-invasive alternative to direct abdominocentesis for assessing intra-abdominal pressure in postoperative or colic cases
Key Findings
- •Body position significantly influenced intra-abdominal pressure measurements, with dorsal recumbency showing no correlation between intrabladder and intra-abdominal pressure
- •In lateral recumbency with 50 ml bladder distension, strong correlation existed between intrabladder and intra-abdominal pressure at both inspiration and expiration phases
- •Left lateral recumbency with 50 ml bladder distension provided reliable indirect assessment of intra-abdominal pressure without fixed or proportional bias