Caesarean section in mares: Historical outline of the treatment, its evolution and prospects compared with other techniques of foal delivery assistance

摘要

The aim of this paper is to present the historical outline and evolution of the caesarean section in mares and to compare it with other forms of foal delivery assistance. In recent years, the procedure has been developing and changing very dynamically, but it has been used for over a century. The first reports of such operations appeared simultaneously with the introduction of laparotomy into clinical practice, and the procedure was performed in subsequent periods from various approaches depending on the preferences and knowledge of clinicians: from the left or right flank, on the Marcenac line, the midline or the paramedian. Over the years, caesarean section has gained considerable popularity, becoming in many cases the method of choice rather than the last resort, which was unquestionably facilitated by new medicines, operation techniques and materials used in clinical practice. Because of a significant change in the breeding profile of horses, as well as a very dynamic development of veterinary medicine, the goals, conditions and risks associated with caesarean section are considerably different from what they were a few decades ago.