Surgery

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In this presentation, Dr. Theresa J. Fossum discusses what's new regarding risk factors for this deadly disease, what to tell your clients who have high risk pets, whether prophylactic gastropexy is indicated, what you can do to reduce mortality, how quickly you need to operate and the best gastropexy techniques to use. (1 CE credit)

Cranial cruciate ligament injuries are some of the most common orthopedic conditions seen in small animal practice. Even so, the optimal treatment modality is hotly debated within the profession. Each new surgery is introduced with great fanfare but, in most clinical studies, the fabellar suture technique in one iteration or another has been found to be superior or equal to other methods.

Urine diversion techniques are performed to temporarily or permanently divert urine from its normal anatomic course from the kidney through the ureter to the bladder and finally through the urethra. Veterinarians are most familiar with temporary urine diversion (urethral catheters) that are often used to stabilize animals that are sick as a result of metabolic changes associated with urinary tract obstruction. Temporary diversion (peritoneal drainage) may also be used as a bridge to more definitive surgical procedures such as repair of a ruptured urinary bladder.

Laryngeal paralysis is a congenital or acquired disease that causes upper airway obstruction. Paralysis causes partial or complete obstruction of the laryngeal lumen due to denervation of the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle of the larynx. Interruption of nerve transmission from the recurrent laryngeal nerve or the vagus results in failure of the arytenoid cartilages and vocal folds to abduct on inspiration.

Megacolon occurs more frequently in cats than dogs and is usually seen in middle-aged to geriatric cats. The ascending, transverse, and descending colon are chronically large in diameter and filled with dry stool. A congenital form of the disease has been seen especially in Manx cats with rectal/anal atresia and a sacral spinal deformity. An acquired form of the disease has been seen secondary to mechanical obstruction caused by malunion of pelvic fractures that have not had surgical treatment.

Canine hip dysplasia is a very common orthopedic condition and every small- or mixed-animal practitioner will see cases. Despite this, the management of this syndrome can be frustrating and confusing to the clinician as well as the client. Questions about prognosis, what surgery to recommend (and when), various aspects of medical management and more are difficult to answer definitively.

The stomach is a C-shaped musculoglandular organ. It has the largest dilatation of the alimentary canal. The stomach lies mainly in a transverse position, Predominantly to the left of the median plane. When it is empty, the stomach lies cranial to the last rib and between the ninth thoracic and first lumbar vertebra.

Careful consideration of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management techniques will assist in preventing complications related to anesthesia and surgery in patients with urinary tract surgical disease. Hospital acquired renal insufficiency is common in humans, seemingly less so in animals but caution is advised. Hypotension of any cause is a potential predisposing cause to renal failure.

Just as in the human population, the incidence of osteoarthritis in veterinary patients is very high. Many of the developmental diseases as well as traumatic injuries ultimately become cases of osteoarthritis management. As with any chronic progressive (and largely incurable) disease, the treatment can be frustrating. In fact, treatment of arthritis is easy when the client is patient, willing, and has a lot of money.