Laparoscopic urogenital surgery. What is possible?

As the urogenital system is located within the pelvic area, various laparoscopic procedures can be used, either standing, or under general anaesthesia, or a combination of both. Laparoscopy allows assessment and manipulation of structures that are inaccessible by a standard open approach. In horses, however, laparoscopic surgery is often combined with minimal laparotomy, either at the end of the procedure to remove larger organs (e.g. ovarian tumours, bladder stones), or at the beginning of surgery, to manipulate some large or delicate organs under laparoscopic control (kidney). Hand-assisted techniques offer the advantage of permitting manual dissection and retraction. The ability to control haemorrhage is increased as well ...