Postoperative pain and short-term complications after two elective sterilization techniques: ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy in cats

Abstract

BackgroundSurgical sterilization of cats is one of the most commonly performed procedures in veterinary practice and it can be accomplished by two different techniques: ovariohysterectomy (OVH) or ovariectomy (OVE). Although there is an apparent preference for OVH in United States and Canada, OVE seems to be the standard of care in many European countries due to its advantages, such as a smaller surgical incision and potentially less complications associated with surgical manipulation of the uterus. The aim of this randomized, blind, prospective study was to compare postoperative pain and short-term complications in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy.MethodsTwenty female cats were randomly assigned into two groups (OVH, n = 10 and OVE, n = 10). Pain was assessed prior to surgery (baseline) and 1, 2, 4, 8 12 and 24 h after the procedure using pain and sedation scales, physiologic parameters and blood glucose levels. Short-term complications were evaluated in the early postoperative period and reassessed at day 7 and day 10.ResultsChanges in cardiovascular parameters were not clinically relevant, however cats in OVH group had higher heart rates at T1 h compared with baseline (p = 0.0184). Blood glucose levels in OVH group were also higher at T1 h compared with baseline (p = 0.0135) and with OVE group (p = 0.0218). Surgical time was higher in OVH group (p = 0.0115). Even though no significant differences in pain scores were observed between groups or time points, cats in OVH group had greater need for rescue analgesia compared with OVE (2/10 and 0/10, respectively). Complications were not observed in any cat during surgery, at days 7 and 10 postoperatively or at discharge.ConclusionsBoth surgical techniques promoted similar intensity of postoperative pain in cats and there were no short-term complications throughout the study’s evaluation period. Therefore, both techniques may be indicated for surgical sterilization of cats, according to the surgeon’s preference and expertise. Cats that underwent ovariectomy did not require rescue analgesia and surgical time was shorter in that group.

Appetite-stimulating effect of gabapentin vs mirtazapine in healthy cats post-ovariectomy

“…This could be related to the healthy study population, to the low postoperative pain level of ovariectomy or to the surgery analgesic protocol. 41 While no significant differences were found between pain scores in the present study, it is not possible to rule out the connection between gabapentin's positive effect on appetite and its analgesic properties.…”

Intraperitoneal administration of lidocaine or tramadol alone or in combination on postoperative pain after ovariohysterectomy in dogs

“…Ovariohysterectomy is one of the most common surgeries in small animals (Campagnol et al, 2012;Carpenter et al, 2004;Guerrero et al, 2016). Among the upsides of this surgery, mention can be made of population control, prevention of diseases related to the reproductive system and decrease in the unpleasant behaviours associated with sex hormones (Pereira et al, 2018). Ovariohysterectomy is classified as a major surgery (Hardie et al, 1997).…”

Ovarian pedicle hemostasis techniques in cats

“…There were also no trans operative complications. In studies of OH in cats, the results were similar with no bleeding and trans operative complications 1,4 . The comparison of surgical times between the techniques used showed that KG had a statistically significant shorter surgical time compared to CG.…”

“…The queens were randomly distributed into three groups of seven. The female cats in the first group (CG) were operated using common suture thread (polyglactin 910) to perform OAVC ligature, this is the conventional technique 1 , 4 . The second group (KG) were operated using the knotting technique, in which the ovarian vessels were occluded by knotting the OAVC itself 2 .…”

“…Several techniques have been used to ligate the pedicles and uterine body of cats in ovariohysterectomy (OH) [1][2][3][4] . However, postoperative complications may occur in all techniques with hemorrhage as one of the most common complications and the most common cause of death in postoperative OH; this can be caused by ruptured ovarian and uterine vessels during resection 5 .…”