Laparoscopic repair of scrotal hernia in two foals.

This research article describes how two infant Percheron horses with non-threatening scrotal hernias were successfully treated using a minimally invasive surgery method called laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic Technique and Procedure

• The study was conducted on two 4-week old Percheron foals, a breed of draft horse, that had nonstrangulating indirect scrotal hernias. This means their intestinal part had protruded into the scrotal area, but there was no immediate risk of stopping their blood flow.
• The foals were treated using a laparoscopic technique, which is a minimally invasive surgical method that operates through small incisions, using a camera and surgical instruments. This procedure provides less post-operative complications and faster recovery times compared to traditional surgical methods.
• The herniated small intestine was first reduced laparoscopically, meaning it was pushed back into the abdomen from the scrotal sac. Each testes was also pulled up through an area called the vaginal ring.

Surgical Details

• The ligament of the epididymis’s tail, a structure at the back end of the testes that stores and carries sperm, was severed using electrocautery. This is a technique that uses electric current to cut and control bleeding during surgical procedures.
• The testicular blood vessels and nerves were separated using cautery of the mesorchium’s mesenteric portion, a fold of membrane that attaches the testes to the body and contains its blood vessels and nerves. These were then tied off.
• A medical device called staples were used to close the inguinal canal, which is the passage in the abdominal wall through which a testis descends into the scrotum, by joining the peritoneal edges of the vaginal ring, preventing recurrence of the hernia.
• In one foal, remnants of the umbilical stalk were cut off through a surgical incision in the abdominal wall (celiotomy) after laparoscopic observation of enlargement in the right umbilical artery and urachus, a canal that during fetal development connects the umbilical cord to the bladder.

Post-Operative Monitoring

• After 16 weeks, there were no complications or recurrence of herniation, indicating a successful procedure.