Surgical Innovations saves Christmas
水曜日, 16 12月 2009
Leeds based Surgical Innovations has donated specialist surgical instruments to Edinburgh Zoo to enable them to carry out the world’s first keyhole surgery on a reindeer – just in time for Christmas.
Leading vet Romain Pizzi successfully carried out the surgery on Eskimo, a reindeer at the zoo, removing one of his testes, which had been lodged in its abdomen since birth.
The Zoo was concerned that the retained testicle may have been developing into a tumour giving off abnormal hormones, and that this could become life-threatening. Thankfully, the Zoo surgeons were relieved to find that the retained testicle, although abnormally sized, had not yet developed a tumour.
It is believed that the abnormal testicle was affecting Eskimo’s production and flow of testosterone and, as a result, he was showing submissive behaviour and being bullied by the other male reindeer in the herd. He had also started to show some abnormal and delayed antler growth and development. Removing the testicle will halt any abnormal hormone production so hopefully Eskimo will return to full vigour just in time for Christmas.
Although keyhole (or laparoscopic surgery as its also known) is routine in humans, the standard procedure in animals is still open abdominal surgery. Open abdominal surgery is 20 years behind human medical advances and has a number of negative factors on animals such as more post-operative pain, slower recovery and a higher risk of post-operative complications and infections.
Romain, a Veterinary Surgeon for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, based at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "The operation was been a great success and Eskimo has made a speedy recovery."
"Laparoscopic surgery is still very uncommon in veterinary medicine, even amongst common species such as dogs, cats and horses, so for keyhole surgery to be carried out on a reindeer shows a great advancement in veterinary surgery."
It is estimated that nearly one out of every two households in the UK are pet owners. Veterinary surgeons perform on average 600,000 open abdominal procedures annually but it is believed that less than 1% of them currently practice laparoscopic surgery.
Veterinary laparoscopic pioneer Romain believes that with the right instrumentation developed by companies such as Surgical Innovations, UK vets now have the opportunity to introduce laparoscopic techniques as part of their operating procedure.
“This procedure was only really possible thanks to a cutting-edge designed retractor which we were able to use in this case. Ironically although a reindeer is a reasonably large animal, due to their unique anatomy and massive four chambered stomach that takes up most of the space in the abdomen, there is a very limited internal operating space. For this reason the operation was much more difficult than in a human, or in a dog, where there is more space to work, despite their smaller size.”
The minimally invasive nature of laparoscopic surgery means there are numerous benefits for animals such as a reduction in post-operative pain, a faster recovery and reduced post-operative care. It also has a decreased risk of infection after surgery and a lower risk of any wound complications.
“We were especially pleased with how quickly Eskimo recovered after surgery; he was standing and happily eating lichen again within 10 minutes of recovery from anaesthesia. He hardly seemed to notice he had even had surgery. This would simply not have been possible with traditional open abdominal surgery, as the long wound would have been much more painful and debilitating”
For veterinary surgeons laparoscopic surgery can offer better visualisation of the operated area, allowing them to be more precise and reach areas that are difficult to see in open surgery such as the liver and pelvic canal.
Romain carries out laparoscopic operations on dogs, cats and exotic pets at his own veterinary practice Inglis Veterinary Centre (Scotland) and has pioneered several new laparoscopic techniques.
He commented: "Laparoscopic surgery has so many benefits for the animal, the veterinary surgeons and the Zoo, so there is no reason why it should not be more common practice within veterinary surgery. I hope Eskimo's experience helps raise its profile and encourage more veterinary surgeons to look into it as a standard surgical procedure."
Surgical Innovations have a worldwide reputation for the development of innovative laparoscopic devices and following their global success within the medical laparoscopic field, the pioneering company is working with the UKs leading vets and agencies such as the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, as well as the UK's fastest growing veterinary distributor Ark Surgical, to be at the forefront of veterinary laparoscopic surgery.
Managing Director, Graham Bowland, said: "We are delighted to be working with Romain in the advancement of laparoscopic surgery within the veterinary community and are pleased that the operation on Eskimo was a success and he will be fit and ready for a busy Christmas Eve."