Postoperative ileus (POI), a decrease in gastrointestinal motility after surgery, is an important problem facing human and veterinary patients. 37.5% of horses that develop POI following small intestinal (SI) resection will not survive to discharge. The two major components of POI pathophysiology are a neurogenic phase which is then propagated by an inflammatory phase. Perioperative care has been implicated, namely the use of opioid therapy, inappropriate fluid therapy and electrolyte imbalances. Current therapy for POI variably includes an early return to feeding to induce physiological motility, reducing the inflammatory response with agents such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and use of prokinetic therapy such as lidocaine. However, optimal management of POI remains controversial. Further understanding of the roles of the gastrointestinal microbiota, intestinal barrier function, the post-surgical inflammatory response, as well as enteric glial cells, a component of the enteric nervous system, in modulating postoperative gastrointestinal motility and the pathogenesis of POI may provide future targets for prevention and/or therapy of POI.

术后肠梗阻 (POI) 是手术后胃肠动力下降，是人类和兽医患者面临的一个重要问题。在小肠 (SI) 切除术后发生 POI 的马中有 37.5% 无法存活到出院。POI 病理生理学的两个主要组成部分是神经源性阶段，然后通过炎症阶段传播。涉及围手术期护理，即使用阿片类药物治疗、不适当的液体治疗和电解质失衡。目前针对 POI 的治疗方法包括尽早恢复进食以诱导生理运动，使用非甾体抗炎药 (NSAID) 等药物减少炎症反应，以及使用利多卡因等促运动疗法。然而，POI 的最佳管理仍存在争议。