SURGERY
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Table 1
Frequency of complications
Method
Location
Mean weight
Complication Prescrotal
# (%) Scrotal
# (%) MSU
# (%) HA
# (%) Present
lb (#) Absent
lb (#)
Hemorrhage 35 (15%) 34 (17%) 63(38%) 7 (3%) 40.8 (70) 36.4 (360)
Pain 30 (13%) 23 (11%) 41 (25%) 11 (4%) 40.8 (52) 36.6 (378)
Self-trauma 34 (15%) 20 (10%) 46 (28%) 7 (3%) 38.1 (53) 36.8 (377)
Swelling 2 hours after surgery 33 (14%) 28 (14%) 53 (32%) 7 (3%) 39.5 (60) 36.6 (370)
Swelling 4 hours after surgery 32 (14%) 23 (11%) 46 (28%) 8 (3%) 39.7 (54) 36.6 (376)
Swelling 6 hours after surgery 31 (13%) 26 (13%) 42 (26%) 16 (6%) 41 (58) 36.4 (371)
Swelling 24 hours after surgery 49 (21%) 47 (23%) 35 (21%) 60 (22%) 41.7 (94) 35.5 (335)
Swelling 48 hours after surgery 50 (22%) 41 (20%) 25 (15%) 65 (24%) 43.4 (89) 35.3 (339)
Swelling 72 hours after surgery 40 (17%) 31 (15%) 16 (10%) 54 (20%) 48.5 (70) 34.4 (357)
Total cases 231 206 164 273
# = number of complications recorded
% = percentage of dogs with complications recorded
lb = pound
the average surgical time for the scrotal approach
being 3.6 minutes, which is about a 30% reduction in
surgical time (Table 3). The difference in surgical time
by surgical approach was consistent between the two
MSU surgeons.
DISCUSSION
Canine castration is one of the most common
procedures performed in veterinary medicine, and the
prescrotal surgical approach has traditionally been the
most commonly taught method. 1,6 The emergence of
high-quality high-volume spay-neuter organizations
has increased the need for more efficient techniques.
Consideration should be given to other possible
approaches that may be as effective, safe and
efficient as the long-accepted prescrotal castration.
To our knowledge, this study was the first designed
to evaluate the differences in complication rate and
time efficiency between scrotal and prescrotal canine
castration.
In this study, the complication rates of the prescrotal
and scrotal techniques were similar, but the scrotal
for surgery and home
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Issue 02 | MAY 2019 | 22
approach was faster and had lowered incidence of
self-trauma.
In future studies, efforts should be made to eliminate
or further minimise interobserver variability. While
swelling was tracked out to 72 hours after surgery, pain,
self-trauma, and haemorrhage were recorded only
in the 24 hours immediately following the patient’s
recovery from anaesthesia. It may be useful to follow
the incidence of pain, self-trauma, haemorrhage,
incisional discharge and infection rates out to at least
seven days.
CONCLUSION
Scrotal castration was comparable with traditional
prescrotal castration in terms of incidence of most
postoperative complications. However, the scrotal
method was associated with less self-trauma. Scrotal
castration also offered an approximately 30% faster
surgery time. Either surgical method may be safely
and effectively performed in high-quality high-volume
spay-neuter clinics.