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Congress on Demand 2021: Surgery
Selected lectures from BSAVA virtual congress 2021
We are pleased to present a selection of lectures from BSAVA virtual Congress 2021 that cover surgery. This collection can be purchased as a standalone item, with a discount for BSAVA members. Visit our Congress on Demand information page for information about how to access the rest of our 2021 congress lectures.
Collection Contents
6 results
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Tackling post-op complications, including checklists and auditing
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Author Helen SilverPost-operative complications commonly seen in veterinary practice range from wound healing difficulties to multiple organ failure and death. Regardless of their severity, whenever post-operative complications arise, they are never welcome; let’s face it, the last thing you want to hear when reaching for your coat, after mopping the floor, hungry and tired after a long day, is that the bitch spay from this morning is not doing well and needs to return to theatre as a bleed is suspected. To reduce the rate of post-op complications, clinical audits are used to support quality improvement in clinical settings. Clinical audits enable patient care to be improved by assessing and evaluating current processes in a systematic way. By selecting the correct type of audit, getting the whole practice team on board, and ensuring a blame-free culture is embraced improvement strategies can be identified and implemented. The surgical safety checklist (SSC) is an example of a tool that has been proven to reduce the rates of post-operative complications. By involving the whole practice team in tackling post-operative complications though adoption of audits and checklists the benefits quickly become obvious and real improvements in patient care can be seen.
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Take a deep breath: BOAS surgery doesn’t have to be scary
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Authors: Jane Ladlow and Rob WhiteNose and soft palate: In various studies, about 60% of dogs with BOAS had stenotic nares and 90% had an elongated palate. Using advanced imaging, the palate is not only long but also thickened (hyperplastic) which may be a secondary change to other areas of airway obstruction. The lesions sites are also breed specific, with nasal stenosis being more of an issue in French bulldogs and pugs than bulldogs where the hyperplastic palate is the most noticeable lesion. In an objective study of airway function the nostril status was the most significant conformational factor associated with BOAS (though we still see unaffected dogs with severely stenotic nostrils). As lesion sites vary between breeds and also between individuals of the same breed it is important to assess individuals carefully prior to surgery with a functional assessment (https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/health-and-dog-care/health/getting-started-with-health-testing-and-screening/respiratory-function-grading-scheme/). We use a nasal grading scheme which is breed specific to assess the nostrils. Open and mildly affected nostrils are desirable (https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/boas/about-boas/recognition-diagnosis#stenoticnares). There are a myriad of techniques described for soft palate resection and nasoplasty. This presentation covers the current surgical options for nasoplasty and soft palate resection, including alar fold resection and folding flap staphylectomy techniques along with the evidence behind them. Potential complications and outcomes (where known) are also discussed.
Laryngeal collapse and tracheostomy: Laryngeal collapse is a form of upper-airway obstruction caused by loss of cartilage rigidity that allows medial deviation of the rostral laryngeal cartilages. Although laryngeal collapse has usually been considered to be associated with progression of the BOAS, when it comes to the more advanced stages of the condition, the breed of dog is often indicative of the severity in laryngeal changes seen. Conventionally, the condition is sub-divided into three stages in the dog: in stage I laryngeal collapse there is eversion of the laryngeal saccules, in stage II there is loss of rigidity and medial displacement of the cuneiform processes of the arytenoid cartilage, and in stage III there is collapse of the corniculate processes of the arytenoid cartilages with loss of the dorsal arch of the rima glottidis. In its advanced forms, the condition is life-threatening and often very difficult to treat effectively. This presentation covers the condition and its potential management options (e.g. husbandry changes, surgical correction of primary abnormalities, sacculectomy, arytenoidectomy, cricoarytenoid and thyroarytenoid caudo-lateralisation, and permanent tracheostomy), highlighting the controversies and difficulties in its treatment.
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The blocked dog: what are the surgical options?
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Author Ed FriendUrethral obstruction is a common presentation in small animal practice. This lecture provides an overview of stabilisation and treatment of this condition, with an emphasis on how to avoid surgery if possible. The most common management technique of retrohydropulsion followed by cystotomy are discussed, along with some commonly used temporary or permanent urine diversion techniques.
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The broken tap: when do we need a plumber?
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Authors: Alix McBrearty and Gawain HammondCritical history, blood tests and urinalysis: Urinary incontinence is a common reason for presentation, particularly in neutered bitches. It is however, important to distinguish incontinence from pollakiuria, polyuria and behavioural problems. This necessitates asking the client the right questions, performing a thorough physical examination, and sometimes checking urine specific gravity. It is useful to establish the timing of the episodes, volume of urine passed and events surrounding the leakage of urine. Animals with incontinence usually present with intermittent or continuous dribbling of urine but can void normally. Potential causes of urinary incontinence include urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI), ectopic ureters, neurological abnormalities, detrusor instability and genitourinary tract neoplasia. When incontinence is confirmed, a thorough history, physical examination, neurological examination, urinalysis and aerobic urine culture should be performed. Due to the high prevalence of USMI in adult, neutered bitches and the low cost and risk of treatment, if the results of these steps are consistent, alpha-agonists or estrodiol are frequently trialled prior to further investigations. If the presumptive diagnosis is correct, this treatment is often effective. If not or if the animal does not fit these criteria, further investigations including a complete blood count, biochemistry and abdominal imaging are required to establish the diagnosis.
Imaging the urogenital tract: what test when? Diagnostic imaging can be a very powerful tool in the investigation of urogenital disease, with the differing modalities having strengths and weaknesses for the different areas of the tract. Generally, ultrasound would be recommended as the most appropriate first-line investigation for most structures in the urogenital tract, allowing clear visualisation of the internal structure of the kidneys and reproductive structures (ovaries, uterus, prostate, testes). Radiography may allow diagnosis of altered shape or size of these structures but the changes seen are usually less specific than those that can be identified with ultrasound. Ultrasound and/or contrast radiography can be used for assessment of the bladder (with ultrasound usually being more convenient (and allowing guided cystocentesis if required), but care must be taken in interpretation of the bladder wall if the bladder is not particularly distended. For the ureters and urethra, positive contrast radiography (Intravenous urography, retrograde (vagino) urethrography) often allows clearer assessment of the length of these structures. If available, Computed Tomography can be particularly useful for the assessment of ureteric anatomy (e.g. for aberrant insertion/ectopia). In many cases, multi-modality imaging may be appropriate, particularly if investigation for changes in other body areas is required (e.g. metastatic spread from a neoplastic process).
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The burst pipe under the floorboards: how to spot urinary trauma?
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Authors: Ed Friend and Laura OwenSpotting urinary tract trauma: This lecture gives an overview of urinary tract trauma, which is a serious presenting complaint in small animal practice but may be initially hard for a clinician to recognise. The presentation discusses presenting signs and the challenges of how to diagnose.
Treatment options for urinary tract trauma: Injury to the urinary tract of the dog and cat is an uncommon, but serious potential sequel to blunt, penetrating or iatrogenic trauma to the caudal abdominal or pelvic regions. Bladder injury occurs most commonly, followed by urethral injury, with only rare occurrences of renal or ureteral injury reported. Preservation of function of the urinary tract is the optimal goal of treatment, but some procedures that achieve this may be technically challenging, require specialist equipment and/or may be associated with a higher risk of complications compared to salvage procedures; thus decision-making must be performed on an individual patient basis and requires consideration of multiple factors. In some cases urinary diversion alone will allow healing of the urinary tract without specific repair. This session discusses the possible treatment options for each area of urinary tract injury, with a focus on the bladder and urethra as the most commonly traumatised organs, with the aim of enabling you to feel better equipped to provide management or advice for affected patients.
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The leaking tap: what’s new?
BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2021Authors: Laura Owen and Alasdair Hotston MooreIdentifying ectopic ureters – tips and tricks: Ureteral ectopia (EU) is a congenital abnormality, in which one or both ureteral openings form with their termination located distal to the bladder trigone. Intramural and extramural phenotypes are recognised, with >95% of canine cases identified as intramural, whilst the majority of feline EU are extramural. Diagnosis may be straightforward in patients presenting with significant urinary incontinence at a young age, but may be challenging in patients with a more atypical presentation, or in those with only subtle abnormalities of their urinary tracts. This session covers the variable clinical presentation of patients with ectopic ureters, explains ultrasound findings that may increase your index of suspicion for this condition, how to optimise contrast imaging to highlight an abnormal ureter and more about our current gold standard of diagnosis, cystoscopy. This information should enable you to more confidently recommend additional diagnostic tests in the correct animals and avoid unnecessary testing in those patients unlikely to have this condition. More patients can then in turn receive appropriate treatment.
USMI when medicine fails: what next? Urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) is the commonest cause of urinary incontinence in the bitch. Medical management is the first line treatment (usually with either an adrenergic agent (e.g. phenylpronolamine) or an oestrogenic agent (e.g. estriol). The majority of bitches have a good response to these, but other treatments need consideration in a minority of cases. Before surgery is planned, the clinician should review the diagnosis and consider underlying or secondary factors (such as obesity and urinary tract infection). If the diagnosis is confirmed and these have been considered, surgical management can be offered to the owners. There are several established surgical options (colposuspension, Artificial Urethral Sphincter placement, urethral sling), endoscopic management with urethral bulking agents and some less well established procedures (vaginectomy, vaginal septum transection). The session looks at each of these and make suggestions as to their application.
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