White delivers State-of-the-Art lecture at annual convention

Dr. Nat White, the Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Professor and director of Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, presented the prestigious Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art lecture at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) 52nd Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 4, 2006.

The dynamic address, “Equine Colic: A Real Pain in the Gut,” was attended by nearly 3,000 industry representatives and equine practitioners.

Using case examples from his clinical experience and research for illustration, White showcased advances in the diagnosis and treatment of colic in horses. Topics included the response of the intestine to inflammation, ischemia and pain, as well as the clinical signs used by practitioners to diagnose colic and to select the most effective courses of treatment. Computer generated movies of intestinal diseases and rectal examinations were used in combination with specific clinical values that are utilized to determine the need for surgery in horses with colic.

A world-renowned expert in colic, White has authored several books on the topic including Equine Acute Abdomen, and Handbook of Equine Colic as well as the surgical texts Current Techniques in Equine Surgery and Lameness, and Current Practice of Equine Surgery. White is a former director-at-large for AAEP and is currently chair of the AAEP Foundation Advisory Committee. He is also a past president of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and has served as director of the ACVS Veterinary Symposium since 1997.

The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is a Leesburg, Va., based full-service equine hospital that is owned by Virginia Tech and operated as one of three campuses that comprise the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.