Surgical Repair and Management of Congenital Intestinal Atresia in 68 Calves SAEED AZIZI, DVM, DVSC, RAHIM MOHAMMADI, DVM, and IBRAHIM MOHAMMADPOUR, DVM Objective—To determine outcome and survival rate after surgical treatment of intestinal atresia, gender predilection, and effect of rectal palpation on the cause of atresia coli in calves. Study Design—Prospective clinical study. Animals—Newborn calves (n ¼ 68). Methods—Data collected were husbandry system, anamneses, physical examination findings, sur- gical treatments, and postoperative results. Calves with atresia ani, and with atresia coli et recti had anal reconstruction and right flank colostomy, respectively. In midflank colostomized calves, the inner muscular layers were dissected to form a valve-like stoma. Results—Of 68 calves with intestinal atresia, 37 were treated surgically. Anal reconstruction was per- formed in 21 calves with atresia ani with a long-term survival rate of at least 6 months with good con- dition. Colostomy was performed in 14 calves with atresia coli and 1 with atresia coli et recti; survival rate was 73%. The case morbidity rate for intestinal atresia was 13.8% and for atresia coli, 5.7% in the hospital population. No gender predilection for occurrence of atresia ani and atresia coli was identified. Palpation per rectum for early pregnancy diagnosis did not predispose to atresia coli. Conclusion—Surgical treatment of atresia ani through circular anal skin removal has a good prog- nosis for survival. Colostomy is not an acceptable treatment from the calf’s perspective because of the resulting poor condition but the high survival rate is important to allow continued milk pro- duction of the dam. Clinical Relevance—Early diagnosis, supportive treatment, and surgical correction are important in management of atresia coli. r Copyright 2010 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons INTRODUCTION I NTESTINAL ATRESIA as a congenital defect has been reported in people and many domestic animals including pigs, sheep, and calves. 1–6 In calves, this con- genital abnormality is defined as complete occlusion of intestinal lumen because of anomalous development of the wall of intestine and has been identified involving the rectum and/or anus 7–9 ; colon 10,11 ; ileum 7 ; and jejunum. 8 Atresia ani is believed to be hereditary in cattle 7 and at- resia jejuni is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait in Swedish Highland and Jersey breeds 7,12 ; however, inher- itance of atresia coli remains controversial and incom- pletely understood. 13 Atresia coli may occur secondary to vascular insufficiency of the developing colon in calves and early pregnancy diagnosis in cattle by amniotic pal- pation has the potential to damage the fetal intestinal blood supply and disrupt organogenesis. 13,14 Our objectives were to determine the rate and gender predilection for atresia coli, and association of rectal pal- pation for early pregnancy diagnosis with atresia coli in newborn calves. Outcomes and survival rate after surgical treatment of intestinal atresia including atresia coli were evaluated. Corresponding Author: Dr. Saeed Azizi, DVM, DVSC, Iran and Food Animal Veterinary Clinic, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, PO Box 57155-1177, Urmia, Iran. E-mails: s.azizi@mail.urmia.ac.ir or sazizim @gmail.com. Submitted May 2008; Accepted January 2009 From the Iran and Food Animal Veterinary Clinic, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Sardasht, West Azerbyjan Province, Iran. r Copyright 2010 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons 0161-3499/09 doi:10.1111/j.1532-950X.2009.00611.x 115 Veterinary Surgery 39:115–120, 2010