Cesarean Section

Cesarean section is most commonly performed as an emergency procedure to relieve dystocia, although it has occasionally been reported as an elective procedure in select cases when vaginal birth is deemed unlikely to be successful. The priority when electing cesarean section is delivery of a live foal. Once the decision to proceed with a cesarean section has been made, preparation of patient and surgical personnel is the same as for a routine midline laparotomy, with the caveat that the incision will be made more caudal when compared to an exploratory procedure. Rapid evaluation of a foal born via cesarean section will determine whether resuscitation efforts are needed. Prognosis for a mare after cesarean section is generally good unless the procedure was performed due to an acute injury or other underlying pathology (e.g. colic), with reported survival rates of 84–91%.