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Thursday, July 12, 2012

A Laparoscopic Neuter at VACC

At Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod we are proud to offer our patients some of the highest quality care in the area. Our surgeons have a variety of options when deciding how to approach each procedure, including the use of laser and laparoscopic equipment. Recently a patient came in for a cryptorchidectomy with Dr. Burns (this is a neuter where one or both testicles are retained). In this case, one of the dog's testicles had not descended into the scrotum. Normally this would be a major abdominal surgery with a very large incision, but because we have the ability to perform procedures laparoscopically here at VACC, Dr. Burns was able to find and remove the retained testicle in a minimally invasive way.
In the video below, you can see the part of the procedure where the doctor locates and secures the retained testicle for removal.

Just after the video, doctor Burns used a piece of equipment called the LigaSure to detach the testicle from the body. The LigaSure is a device that uses a combination of energy and pressure to seal blood vessels as it cuts through tissue. When our surgeons use the LigaSure there is no bleeding, and no sutures are needed.
Laparoscopic procedures require more equipment, and therefore more training for our surgeons and technicians, but we feel that the benefits to our patients are worth it!