TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED MANIPULATION OF THE CANINE PROSTATE WITH MINIMUM INTERVENTION

The canine prostate is a widely used and well established animal model for the assessment of therapeutic effects of laser technology in the search for better options for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperp lasia. Conventionally for such experiments, the canine prostate is app roached by laparotomy or transperineal urethrotomy. We have demonstrat ed a technique involving the use of ultrasound guided biopsy of the li ver and prostate, and percutaneous laser treatment of the prostate, wh ich has proved to be effective in reducing adverse effects on the expe rimental animals but without compromising scientific requirements for the experiments. We conclude that state-of-the-art percutaneous proced ures not only refine animal intervention significantly but are also te chnically feasible for most laser studies using the canine prostate as an experimental model in the live animal.