Texas A&M Researcher Combats Colic Complications
Story by Sophie Cela, VMBS Marketing & Communications
Colic is one of the most devastating diagnoses a horse owner can receive. While the term broadly refers to abdominal pain, cases involving a loss of blood flow to the intestines often become life-threatening.
Dr. George Elane, an assistant professor of equine surgery at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, is working to improve outcomes in these high-risk cases, particularly those involving strangulating or ischemic lesions of the small intestine.
Strangulating lesions — which occur when part of the intestine gets twisted, torn, or blocked — cut off blood flow, causing the affected tissue to die. These dead sections must be surgically removed and the healthy ends reconnected — a procedure that’s not as straightforward as it sounds because it’s difficult to tell by visual appearance alone which intestinal tissue is healthy, borderline, or already dead.
Leaving behind damaged or dead tissue can lead to serious complications like postoperative ileus, which occurs when the intestine shuts down and stops moving contents as it should, leading to a dangerous buildup of fluid and reflux. It’s one of the most serious complications following colic surgery — and one Elane is determined to prevent.
To do that, his research focuses on understanding intestinal function at the cellular level — measuring how tissues behave and identifying the warning signs of trouble.
At the center of this work is an instrument called the Ussing chamber, which allows researchers to study how pieces of intestine transport ions and fluids, mimicking how the gut works in a living animal.
“You place the tissue between two chambers with fluid on either side,” Elane said. “Then, tiny probes send a small current through the samples and measure how well it resists the flow; this helps us judge how alive or damaged it is.
“We want to know how everything compares — from truly dead intestine to artificial versions to healthy, living tissue,” he said. “Eventually, we hope it’ll improve intraoperative decision-making for surgeons.”
In addition to defining tissue health, Elane and his team are using the Ussing chamber to test common drugs — like steroids and antibiotics — to see how they affect the intestine’s ability to function.
The project also lays the groundwork for gene sequencing research targeting the resection site, the area where the dead intestine was removed. By sequencing the genes expressed in those tissues, Elane is hoping to identify signals that foreshadow the development of postoperative complications.
“For example, if horses with complications consistently show high levels of a certain gene, it could become a focus for future treatments,” Elane said. “We could use gene-based therapies to target a specific gene to stop inflammation before it starts. That could reduce the chance of postoperative complications.”
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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
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