Objective-To describe a technique for laparoscopic colopexy in horses.
Study Design-Description of a technique to perform laparoscopic colop
exy in horses. Animals-Six healthy adult horses between 3 and 23 years
of age and weighing between 440 and 636 kg. Methods-Horses were posit
ioned in dorsal recumbency, and the abdomen was insufflated to an intr
aabdominal pressure of 15 mm Hg. A laparoscope portal was placed at th
e umbilicus, and instrument portals were placed cranial to the laparos
cope and lateral to midline. The lateral taenia of the left ventral co
lon was laparoscopically identified and retracted with Babcock forceps
to the peritoneal surface and sutured with two strands of size 2 mono
filament nylon in a continuous pattern via laparoscopic observation. A
ll horses were euthanatized 90 days after surgery, and the colopexy ad
hesion was examined histologically. Results-Laparoscopic colopexy was
successful in all six horses. There were no intraoperative or postoper
ative complications. Initial abdominal insufflation to 15 mm Hg requir
ed an average of 38 L (range 32 to 46 L) of carbon dioxide and 9.8 min
utes (range 9 to 11 minutes) to be completed. A total of 132 L of carb
on dioxide (range 64 to 196 L) was needed for the entire procedure. Th
e laparoscopic colopexy procedure required 95 minutes (range 60 to 142
minutes) to perform. Laparoscopic colopexy resulted in a firm, fibrou
s adhesion of the colon to the abdominal tunic. Microscopically the co
lopexy adhesion was mature fibrous tissue with no evidence of inflamma
tion. Conclusions-Laparoscopic colopexy can be successfully performed
in horses with minimal abdominal invasion. (C) Copyright 1998 by The A
merican College of Veterinary Surgeons.