Laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in cadavers of bovine fetuses.

BACKGROUND: Due to the complexity of ruminant digestion, cannulation of organs of the digestive tract has been carried out in order to advance the understanding of digestive physiology, nutrient degradability, gastrointestinal diseases and biotechnological research. The abomasal cannulation is interesting for nutritional studies, especially in suckling calves, to obtain fluid and abomasal content, evaluation of abomasal flow and function, and infusion of nutrients and drugs when it is intended to reach high concentrations in the organ. Conventionally, access and cannulation of digestive organs of ruminants has been performed by laparotomy, a method often criticized and classified as cruel by some sectors related to ethics and animal welfare. The aim of this present study is to describe and standardize a minimally invasive by laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses (cadavers), which had been previously slaughtered by accident and would be discarded in local slaughterhouses. RESULTS: The abomasal cannulation technique was feasible, simple and did not present major difficulties. The surgical time for cannulation of the abomasum, from the insertion of the trocars to the completion of the technique with fixation of the organ to the abdominal wall, ranged from 9 to 27 min, with an average of 15.5 ± 6.62 min. CONCLUSIONS: The Laproscopic assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses was feasible and safe with minimal tissue injury to the abdominal wall and with short surgical time. More studies in the clinical routine related to minimally invasive abomasal content collection, abomasopexy and abomasotomy are required in order to demonstrate its impact and importance in bovine clinic.

Intra-abdominal resection of the umbilical vein and urachus of bovine fetuses using laparoscopy and celiotomy: surgical time and feasibility (cadaveric study).

Surgical intervention for umbilical diseases in calves, when indicated, is a complementary and indispensable therapeutic resource for the treatment of umbilical conditions and is commonly performed using celiotomy. However, laparoscopy has demonstrated feasibility in many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the techniques and the surgical time of laparoscopy and celiotomy used in intra-abdominal resection of the umbilical vein and urachus of bovine fetuses (cadavers). Resection of the umbilical vein and urachus using laparoscopy and celiotomy was performed in 26 anatomical specimens (bovine fetuses obtained from an official slaughterhouse). Resection of umbilical structures was feasible with both techniques, but shorter surgical time and minimal tissue damage were achieved using laparoscopy. Laparoscopy requires specialized training and appropriate instruments and is an important tool for diagnostic and therapeutic exploration of the umbilical structures, liver, bladder, and associated/adjacent structures.