Veterinary laparoscopic technology has been widely applied in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of animal diseases in veterinary clinical settings, as well as in biotechnology research such as animal husbandry production and embryo transfer. Let’s delve into the clinical applications of veterinary laparoscopic technology in small animals.
Veterinary laparoscopy allows direct observation of abdominal organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, ovaries, uterus, and gastrointestinal tract surface. Therefore, most abdominal organ diseases can be diagnosed through laparoscopy. Laparoscopy can also be used to assess abdominal trauma, diagnose abdominal tumors, and perform biopsies.
1. Using laparoscopy for abdominal exploration surgery can be very effective in diagnosing and prognosing certain diseases. Laparoscopy typically allows for direct visualization and diagnosis of suspected lesions detected by ultrasonography. For diseases such as extrahepatic biliary obstruction, laparoscopy can be used with a blunt probe to palpate the gallbladder and confirm the diagnosis. For post-surgical adhesions and local peritonitis in animals, laparoscopy can be used to visualize the specific lesion sites while minimizing stress on the animal during exploration. Its minimally invasive nature allows for greater flexibility and maneuverability. For animals with multiple lesions, especially when the lesions are far apart, laparoscopy can be used to comprehensively explore, diagnose, and differentiate the conditions under a single anesthesia, enabling combined laparoscopic or open surgical treatment with maximum efficiency.
2. Laparoscopy can be used to examine abdominal trauma, including liver and spleen ruptures, diaphragmatic hernias, bladder ruptures, kidney ruptures, and abdominal wall hernias.
3. Laparoscopic technology can also be used for the diagnosis of abdominal tumors. By directly observing and biopsying the tumor, veterinary surgeons can gain a direct understanding of the tumor’s characteristics and the extent of infiltration and spread, providing a more accurate understanding of the tumor and reliable evidence for subsequent open surgical treatment.
4. After positioning dogs and cats in a supine position, laparoscopy can be used to examine the bladder and reproductive tract, observe the ovarian surface to determine the growth and development of follicles, and thus accurately determine the time of ovulation. This provides a reliable basis for animal breeding, reducing the possibility of false pregnancies.
5. Under the guidance of laparoscopy, biopsies can be performed with direct visualization of the tissue or organ being examined, allowing for precise selection of the exact location for biopsy and accurate sampling. The quality of the samples obtained through laparoscopic biopsies is much higher than those obtained through needle aspiration biopsies, and sufficient tissue can be obtained. Laparoscopic biopsies can avoid injuring other organs and allow for prompt detection and effective hemostasis of bleeding.
6. Laparoscopic technology is primarily used in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of small animals such as dogs and cats for procedures such as sterilization, ovariohysterectomy, cryptorchidectomy, stomach and bladder fixation.
Common laparoscopic surgeries in small animals include: cryptorchidectomy, ovariohysterectomy, and preventive gastropexy. Other laparoscopic surgeries include bladder examination, jejunum or gastric fistula placement, abdominal drainage tube placement, removal of foreign bodies from the stomach, and adrenalectomy. Laparoscopy can also be used for embryo transfer surgeries in animals such as sheep.