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Assessing the pertioneal fluid can give information about the disease process in the very early stages. Some disease processes such as peritonitis and enteritis produce changes in the peritoneal fluid before the onset of clinical signs. This allows for the early diagnosis of the disease which will favour an improved prognosis for the patient. Strangulating obstructions produce changes in the peritoneal fluid within a few hours of the obstruction occurring. Horses with an intussusception may have normal peritoneal fluid initially as the peritonitis that develops is localised to the portion of entraped bowel.

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Peritoneal fluid should be assessed for colour, turbidity, specific gravity, total nucleated cell count and examined under the microscope for cytology. Normal peritonel fluid is clear to yellow in colour and has a specific gravity of 1.005 mg/dl. The fluid becomes yellow or white and increasingly turbid when there is more protein or cells in it. The initial changes seen in the fluid during gastrointestinal disease are a serosanguinous appearance and an increased red blood cell count and total protein level. The fluid becomes yellow or white and increaingly turbid when there is more protein or cells in it. When the affected portion of bowel becomes ischaemic and necrotic, it leaks cells into the peritoneal fluid. White to yellow, cloudy fluid or exudate will be high in white blood cells. This is seen in septic peritonitis. Red, brown or green fluid can indicate rupture of the gastrointestinal tract and plant material may be present in the sample. A dark red sample may indicate accidental splenic or vessel puncture. The sample will have a higher Packed Cell Volume (PCV) than the peripheral blood if it has been obtained from the spleen, and the same PCV as the peripheral blood if it has come from a vessel.  

===Abnormal Peritoneal Fluid===

The fluid becomes yellow or white and increasingly turbid when there is more protein or cells in it. The initial changes seen in the fluid during gastrointestinal disease are a serosanguinous appearance and an increased red blood cell count and total protein level. The fluid becomes yellow or white and increaingly turbid when there is more protein or cells in it. When the affected portion of bowel becomes ischaemic and necrotic, it leaks cells into the peritoneal fluid. White to yellow, cloudy fluid or exudate will be high in white blood cells. This is seen in septic peritonitis. Red, brown or green fluid can indicate rupture of the gastrointestinal tract and plant material may be present in the sample. A dark red sample may indicate accidental splenic or vessel puncture. The sample will have a higher Packed Cell Volume (PCV) than the peripheral blood if it has been obtained from the spleen, and the same PCV as the peripheral blood if it has come from a vessel.  

A high nucleated cell count indicates a ruptured bowel but this is not always the case. Sometimes the nucleated cell count is normal in a case of bowel rupture because the cells may have been lysed in the fluid.   

A high nucleated cell count indicates a ruptured bowel but this is not always the case. Sometimes the nucleated cell count is normal in a case of bowel rupture because the cells may have been lysed in the fluid.   

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|+ Peritoneal Fluid Analysis and Intraabdominal Disorders  

==Summary of Peritoneal Fluid Parameters and Intra-abdominal Disorders==

! Clinical Condition

! Clinical Condition

! Appearance

! Appearance

| Normal

| Normal

| Clear - Yellow

| Clear - Yellow

| < 2.0

| < 2.5

| < 7.5 x10⁹

| < 10 x10⁹

| 20 - 80% mononuclear cells, 40 - 80% neutrophils

| 20 - 80% mononuclear cells, 40 - 80% neutrophils

|-

|-

[[Category:Colic Diagnosis in the Horse|HZ]]

[[Category:Colic Diagnosis in the Horse|HZ]]