Laparoscopy in Foals: Indications and Challenges

Key Points

• Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) offers many benefits to the surgeon including being less invasive, and by allowing better visualization of many abdominal structures.
• MIS in dorsally recumbent foals provided excellent observation of the abdominal cavity.
• Surgical intervention includes the bladder, liver, small bowel, and umbilical structures.

Introduction
Similar equipment is used in foals as in adult horses. However, standard length instruments are generally effective in reaching all structures of interest in a foal. All foals should be anesthetized and place into dorsal recumbency as they are not good candidates for standing surgery. In many cases, 5 mm instruments are effective in foal surgery. The purpose of this presentation is to identify the surgical procedures that have been reported in foals and the benefits and challenges that each approach provides.

Bladder Surgery
Minimally invasive bladder surgery in foals should follow the same general concepts as for open surgery. The foals should first be stabilized prior to surgery. The laparoscope can be placed at the umbilicus, or adjacent to the umbilicus in foals with umbilical abnormalities. An open Hassan approach to entering the abdomen is preferred. The bladder tear is identified and sutured using a continuous appositional pattern. If the edges of the tear are frayed the tissue can be resected using a scissors. A size 2-0 or 3-0 rapidly absorbing monofilament suture is preferred by the author. At the completion of the surgery, the abdomen can be lavaged and suctioned to remove any remaining urine.  [...]