Avaliação de protocolos de preparo para gastroscopia em equinos

Abstract

Gastroscopy is the diagnostic method of choice for the evaluation of gastric disorders in horses; however, the quality of the examination depends on adequate preparation to minimize the presence of residual gastric contents. Although different fasting protocols have been described, there is still no consensus regarding the optimal duration of feed withholding. This study aimed to evaluate different preparation protocols for gastroscopy in horses, considering different periods of feed withholding, with or without oral administration of erythromycin estolate. Six clinically healthy adult horses were subjected to six experimental protocols in a cross-over design, with a two-week interval between treatments. The protocols comprised 6, 18, and 24 hours of feed withholding, with or without oral administration of erythromycin estolate at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg. Gastroscopy was used to evaluate the type of gastric contents, quality of visualization of the anatomical regions of the stomach, and gastric motility. No significant influence of individual animals was observed on the evaluated variables. A statistically significant difference among protocols was observed for the type of gastric contents, with better gastric emptying conditions after 18 and 24 hours of feed withholding compared with 6 hours. When treatments were grouped according to fasting duration, differences were also observed in the visualization of anatomical regions and gastric motility. Oral administration of erythromycin estolate, at the dose and under the conditions evaluated, provided no additional benefit for the assessed variables. In conclusion, the 18- and 24-hour preparation protocols resulted in similar reductions in gastric contents compared with the 6-hour protocol, with no evident additional benefit from extending the preparation to 24 hours. Erythromycin estolate, at the dose and under the conditions evaluated, did not further improve pre-gastroscopy preparation.