Laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in cadavers of bovine fetuses

Abstract

Background Due to the complexity of ruminant digestion, cannulation of organs of the digestive tract has been carried out in order to advance the understanding of digestive physiology, nutrient degradability, gastrointestinal diseases and biotechnological research. The abomasal cannulation is interesting for nutritional studies, especially in suckling calves, to obtain fluid and abomasal content, evaluation of abomasal flow and function, and infusion of nutrients and drugs when it is intended to reach high concentrations in the organ. Conventionally, access and cannulation of digestive organs of ruminants has been performed by laparotomy, a method often criticized and classified as cruel by some sectors related to ethics and animal welfare. The aim of this present study is to describe and standardize a minimally invasive by laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses (cadavers), which had been previously slaughtered by accident and would be discarded in local slaughterhouses. Results The abomasal cannulation technique was feasible, simple and did not present major difficulties. The surgical time for cannulation of the abomasum, from the insertion of the trocars to the completion of the technique with fixation of the organ to the abdominal wall, ranged from 9 to 27 min, with an average of 15.5 ± 6.62 min. Conclusions The Laproscopic assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses was feasible and safe with minimal tissue injury to the abdominal wall and with short surgical time. More studies in the clinical routine related to minimally invasive abomasal content collection, abomasopexy and abomasotomy are required in order to demonstrate its impact and importance in bovine clinic.

A Single-Port, Multiple-Access, Custom-Made Device Used in Laparoscopically Assisted Cryptorchidectomy in Standing Horses—A Preliminary Study

“…The device was initially evaluated in bovine fetal cadavers as it had never been used or tested on live animals. Preliminary testing of equipment and surgical techniques on cadavers is essential to improve procedures and prototypes, as well as to obtain technical skills and equipment use [13][14][15][16].…”

Approaches to Laparoscopic Training in Veterinary Medicine: A Review of Personalized Simulators

“…Although simulators for practicing different medical maneuvers are available for large ruminants [24], MIS simulators of this kind were not found during our research. Multiple papers revealed the need for practicing minimally invasive abdominal surgeries such as abomasal cannulation [25], abomasopexy [26], or genitourinary procedures [27,28] in these patients; therefore, a simulator on which surgeons can safely train is necessary.…”