Lecture 1:   Intestinal anastomosis – tips to make it easier

When performing an intestinal resection and anastomosis by yourself (i.e., no assistant to help!) I have several tips that may make the procedure easier for you. I will suggest a number of alternative techniques that you can consider incorporating that will likely make this common procedure easier and more predictably successful. Video of clinical cases will be used to illustrate these techniques.

Lecture 2:   Surgical management of canine cystic and urethral calculi

A ‘never fail’ technique for retropulsion of calculi lodged in the urethra of male dogs will be presented. What is your worst cystic calculi nightmare……leaving a stone behind after your cystotomy! This lecture will describe a unique protocol that will eliminate the possibility of leaving a stone behind. Video of clinical cases will be used to illustrate this protocol.

Lecture 3:   Anal sacculectomy: a novel approach

Anal sacculectomy is frequently performed in veterinary practice. It can be tricky to get all of the anal sac epithelium and preserve the external anal sphincter muscle and caudal rectal nerve. I will suggest a ‘novel’ technique that allows the surgeon full control of the perianal anatomy and thus preservation of all vital structures during complete anal sac resection. Video showing this technique in a clinical case will illustrate its potential usefulness in your practice.

Surgical management of brachycephalic syndrome

This session will discuss the management of upper airway obstruction in brachycephalic breeds. Emphasis will be placed on nasoplasty and soft palate resection. A novel technique for nasal planum resection will be discussed.  There is compelling evidence suggesting that not all everted laryngeal saccules need to be resected! Videotape will be used to illustrate surgical techniques.

Lecture 4:   Surgical repair of diaphragmatic hernia

This session will discuss the three most common types of diaphragmatic hernia; acute traumatic, chronic traumatic, and congenital peritoneopericardial and how they can be repaired. Video of clinical cases will be used to illustrate techniques used to surgically repair each type of hernia. Management of chronic atelectatic lung lobes and the incidence of re-expansion pulmonary edema will be discussed.

Lecture 5:   Feline subtotal colectomy

Subtotal colectomy for the treatment of megacolon in cats is no longer considered a salvage procedure. This session is designed to describe, in detail, the authors’ preferred technique for subtotal colectomy. Video of a clinical case will be used to illustrate the authors’ tricks on how to make the technique easier to perform and more predictably successful.

Feline perineal urethrostomy – a novel approach

Feline perineal urethrostomy has classically been approached with the patient placed in a perineal position. Although this positioning is awkward for the surgeon it has become the standard approach. This lecture will suggest taking another look at patient positioning. Placing the cat in dorsal recumbancy allows for a much more ‘ergonomic’ approach for the surgeon and enhances visualization of the regional anatomy. In addition, this positioning allows access to the patients’ urinary bladder. Video of this novel approach will be used to illustrate the advantages of dorsal recumbancy positioning.