Objective: To describe the use of a motorized morcellator for elective bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy in standing equids and to evaluate long-term outcome.
Design: Retrospective case series.
Animals: 30 equids (20 horses, 9 mules, and 1 pony).
Procedures: Medical records of equids undergoing elective bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy from 2007 to 2013 were evaluated. Cases were selected on the basis of use of a motorized morcellator for ovary extraction. Data collected included age, breed, reason for surgery, surgery date, surgical approach, intraoperative complications, surgery and morcellation times, postoperative complications, and duration of hospitalization. Long-term follow-up was obtained by telephone interview with owners, and included effectiveness at resolving original reason for surgery, time to return to usual activity, incision site appearance, signs of estrus after surgery, and overall owner satisfaction.
Results: 30 equids underwent laparoscopic bilateral ovariectomy with the morcellator technique. Median surgery time was 102 minutes (range, 47 to 150 minutes). Median single ovary morcellation time was 3.5 minutes (range, 2 to 8 minutes). Intraoperative complications occurred in 2 of 30 cases and included iatrogenic organ damage (uterus; 1) and persistent hemorrhage (1). Nineteen of 20 mares for which long-term follow-up was available returned to their previous use at a median of 60 days after surgery (range, 21 to 180 days).
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Results of the present study indicated that use of a mechanical morcellator with a 2-portal technique for bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy in clinically normal equids eliminated the need for a larger laparotomy incision as well as a third portal. Few complications occurred, and clients were satisfied with the procedure. The morcellator technique may offer advantages over other techniques but should only be used by experienced laparoscopic surgeons following adequate training.