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Pig Journal Volume: 50
Publication date: November 2002

Refereed Section

THE "PORCINE INTESTINAL DISTENSION SYNDROME"
J.R. Buddle and D.E. Twomey

Abstract
There are several gastro-intestinal accidents and haemorrhagic diseases in pigs that cause 'sudden' death. There has been some confusion about the definition of and relationship between these diseases. One, the porcine intestinal distension syndrome (PIDS), previously called "intestinal haemorrhage syndrome," should be recognised as a distinct syndrome. It occurs most frequently in pigs aged 2-6 months, and is characterised by a short clinical course of abdominal distension with associated discomfort. A small proportion of affected pigs die because the extreme distension causes asphyxiation. 'Sudden death' may be the first indication of the disease. At necropsy, there is a pale carcase and abdominal distension. The distended intestines (jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon) bulge from the incised abdominal wall because of the pressure of the gas within them, and are markedly reddened because of congestion and/or haemorrhage by diapedesis (but not because of haemorrhage by rhexis). The wall of the ileum is thin. Inflammation is absent. Stomach and duodenum are normal. Usually, there is a clockwise (anti-clockwise when viewed from the ventral aspect) torsion of the whole jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon. The torsion is easy to miss and should be specifically looked for. The stomach is normal and usually full of feed.
???? The cause of PIDS is unknown but observations suggest that, contrary to some previous reports, excessive gas production precedes venous congestion, and that knowledge of the disease will be advanced by studying the cause of excessive gas production in the caudal intestine.

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