The complex blood supply to the equine testis as a cause of failure in laparoscopic castration.
Abstract: Intra-abdominal ligation/ transection of the spermatic cord may result in necrosis of the testis; castration of abdominal cryptorchids via laparoscopy has therefore become common. Notwithstanding some adaptations of the technique, a small percentage of operations fail, prompting research into the anatomical background and clinical relevance of the procedure. Objective: That an alternate blood supply may prevent complete necrosis of the testis after spermatic cord transection. Objective: To establish the prevalence of the problem in normal and cryptorchid stallions. Methods: In a preliminary study, the spermatic cords of 8 normal stallions were ligated and transected at different sites and in various manners. Five weeks later the testes were removed and the vitality of both the testes and epididymes was evaluated. In a prospective clinical trial, intra-abdominal spermatic cord transection was performed in 241 cryptorchid and normal stallions. In cases of surgical failure, the testes were removed and histology performed. Results: Examination of the specimen removed from the 8 animals of the preliminary study revealed that all epididymes were completely or largely spared. All except one testis were completely necrotic. In the patients that underwent surgery all abdominally retained testes (n = 123) were necrotic, while 5 out of 88 inguinally retained and 8 out of 236 normally descended testes had partially survived. The pattern of survival differed between inguinally retained and normally descended testes. The epididymes of these 13 horses were (largely) vital. The (partial) survival of the epididymes and inguinally retained testes was ascribed to an alternate blood supply via anastomosing vessels derived from the cremasteric artery. A tributary from the external pudendal artery was considered responsible for the partial survival of normally descended testes. Conclusions: After intra-abdominal transection of the entire spermatic cord, 5.6% of inguinally retained and 3.4% of normally descended testes failed to become completely necrotic, as a result of an alternate blood supply via the cremasteric and/or external pudendal artery. Therefore, laparoscopic castration without orchidectomy cannot be recommended as a trustworthy method for castration of inguinal cryptorchids and normal stallions.
Publication Date: 2006-01-18 PubMed ID: 16411584DOI: 10.2746/042516406775374234Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates the failure of laparoscopic castration procedure in horses, suggesting the complex blood supply to the equine testis as a potential cause. It argues that an alternate blood supply may lead to incomplete testis necrosis after the transection of the spermatic cord, resulting in castration failures in both normal and cryptorchid stallions.
Research Objectives and Methods
- The primary aim of this study was to understand whether an alternate blood supply could inhibit total testis necrosis post-spermatic cord transection. Additionally, the researchers sought to determine the frequency of this concern in both normal and cryptorchid stallions.
- To investigate this, they first conducted a preliminary study on eight normal stallions in which they ligated and transected the spermatic cords at different sites and in different manners. After five weeks, they evaluated the vitality of both the testes and epididymes after removal.
- Next, a prospective clinical trial was performed, where intra-abdominal spermatic cord transection was conducted on 241 stallions, including both cryptorchid and normal individuals. In situations of surgical failure, the testes were removed for histological analysis.
Research Results
- Post-examination, it was detected that all epididymes were either entirely or largely unscathed in the preliminary study animals. Except for one, all testes were completely necrotic.
- In the horses that underwent surgery, all abdominally retained testes were necrotic, and only a small percentage of inguinally retained and normally descended testes had partially survived. It was observed that the pattern of survival varied between the latter two categories. It was attributed to an alternate blood supply provided by the anastomosing vessels from the cremasteric artery.
- This research concluded that 5.6% of the inguinally retained and 3.4% of the normally descended testes in the sample did not fully necrotize after intra-abdominal transection due to an alternate blood supply via either the cremasteric or external pudendal artery. The study also pointed out that in the case of normally descended testes, a tributary from the external pudendal artery often led to their partial survival.
Conclusions and Implications
- The research concluded that the alternate blood supply led to castration failures due to incomplete necrosis in a small percentage of inguinal cryptorchids and normal stallions. Despite this being a minimal percentage, the study suggests that laparoscopic castration without orchidectomy cannot be considered a reliable method for these categories of stallions.
- The implications and key findings from this research are beneficial for veterinary surgeons, as it informs what anomalies could occur during the laparoscopic castration process, allowing them to anticipate and mitigate these complications.
Cite This Article
APA
Voermans M, Rijkenhuizen AB, van der Velden MA.
(2006).
The complex blood supply to the equine testis as a cause of failure in laparoscopic castration.
Equine Vet J, 38(1), 35-39.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516406775374234 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, Yalelaan 12, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cryptorchidism / surgery
- Cryptorchidism / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses / surgery
- Laparoscopy / methods
- Laparoscopy / veterinary
- Male
- Orchiectomy / methods
- Orchiectomy / veterinary
- Testis / blood supply
- Treatment Failure
- Vasectomy / methods
- Vasectomy / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Straticò P, Guerri G, Palozzo A, Varasano V, Petrizzi L. Current Use of Equine Laparoscopy in Urogenital Disorders: A Scoping Review of the Literature from 2000 to 2021.. Vet Sci 2022 Jan 22;9(2).
- Straticò P, Varasano V, Guerri G, Celani G, Palozzo A, Petrizzi L. A Retrospective Study of Cryptorchidectomy in Horses: Diagnosis, Treatment, Outcome and Complications in 70 Cases.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 21;10(12).
- Sassot LN, Ragle CA, Farnsworth KD, Lund CM. Morcellation for testes extraction in horses undergoing standing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy.. Can Vet J 2017 Nov;58(11):1215-1220.
- Robert MP, Chapuis RJJ, de Fourmestraux C, Geffroy OJ. Complications and risk factors of castration with primary wound closure: Retrospective study in 159 horses.. Can Vet J 2017 May;58(5):466-471.
- Hendrickson DA. A review of equine laparoscopy.. ISRN Vet Sci 2012;2012:492650.
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