Table 3.
Results of pelvic flexure biopsies taken from 9 of 22 enrolled horses at the time of surgical correction of LCV.
| Horse | Treatment | Hemorrhage scores | Epithelial loss | I:C | Crypt length | Eos. # | Survived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EP | 4 | 4 | 1.6 ± 0.3 | 214 ± 43 | 2 | Yes |
| 10 | EP | 3 | 1 | 1.0 ± 0.5 | 252 ± 26 | 43 | Yes |
| 15 | EP | 3 | 3 | 1.3 ± 0.16 | 258 ± 28 | 43 | No |
| 19 | EP | 3 | 1 | 1.5 ± 0.8 | 246 ± 15 | 58 | Yes |
| 31 | EP | 3 | 3 | 1.3 ± 0.4 | 297 ± 43 | 47 | Yes |
| 56 | EP | 0 | 1 | 1.5 ± 0.5 | 437 ± 103 | 75 | Yes |
| EP mean | 2.7 ± 1.4 | 2.2 ± 1.3 | 1.4 ± 0.4 | 284 ± 43 | 44.7 ± 24 | ||
| 20 | Control | 3 | 2 | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 417 ± 47 | 50 | Yes |
| 59 | Control | 0 | 2 | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 352 ± 68 | 48 | No |
| 33 | Control | 4 | 2 | 1.75 ± 0.8 | 370 ± 188 | 33 | No |
| Control mean | 2.3 ± 2.1 | 2 ± 0 | 1.2 ± 0.6 | 379 ± 101 | 43.7 ± 9 | ||
| P value Treatment | >0.9 | >0.9 | >0.9 | 0.2 | >0.9 | ||
| P value Survival | >0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
The estimated percentage of epithelial loss affecting the surface of the mucosa was graded from 1 to 4 where grade 1 = 0–25%; 2 = 25–50%; 3 = 50–75%; and 4 = 75–100% (2). The degree of mucosal hemorrhage was classified based on a scale from 0 to 4 where 0 = no hemorrhage; 1 = few individual red blood cells within the lamina propria; 2 = increased number of individual red blood cells within the lamina propria; 3 = aggregates of red blood cells within the lamina propria; and 4 = confluent red blood cells obscuring the lamina propria (2). In addition to subjective measurements, the interstitium to crypt ratio (I:C ratio), crypt length, and number of eosinophils were determined. The interstitium to crypt ratio, or the ratio of measured lamina propria space occupied by the interstitium and the space occupied by the crypts, and the crypt length were measured in 3 randomly selected microscopic fields. The number of mucosal eosinophils was determined for each section by counting the eosinophils present in a 0.25 × 0.25 mm area using a 1 cm2 10 × 10 grid reticle at 400X within 3 randomly selected microscopic fields. EP - ethyl pyruvate; I:C—interstitial to crypt ratio; Eos.# - number of eosinophils in a 0.25 × 0.25 mm area using a 1 cm2 10 × 10 grid reticle at 400X within 3 randomly selected microscopic fields.