Orange Grove Animal Hospital Now Offers Endoscopic Surgery

The primary goals of any procedure are to provide the highest quality of care and to yield the best chance for curing a disease.  The disease must be treated appropriately and without compromising patient outcome or safety.  Secondly, whenever possible, the disease should be treated with the least amount of invasiveness, thus reducing post-operative pain and leading to a faster return to normal activity.  Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) using fiber optic technology exceeds the second goal and assists the veterinarian in the first goal.  Laparoscopic and Endoscopic surgical procedures utilize either small (5mm) surgical incisions or natural pathways, such as the mouth, urethra or anus, to access organ systems or body cavities. 

Many common procedures can be done utilizing MIS techniques.  These include foreign body removal from the esophagus, stomach or intestines of curious puppies or kittens, removal of bladder stones from both dogs and cats, and correction of cryptorchidism (abdominal testicles) without a large abdominal incision.  Biopsy or surgeries of abdominal organs such as the kidneys, liver, spleen, gall bladder, pancreas, bladder and reproductive organs as well as the biopsy or removal of cancerous abdominal masses is accomplished with a much smaller incision.  The chest can also be approached with endoscopic techniques to treat diseases of the heart and lungs.  Furthermore, due to the varying degrees of magnification provided for by fiber optic technology, increased visualization and accuracy is allowed the veterinary surgeon. 

When compared to traditional surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery using endoscopic technique has excellent treatment outcomes.  Because the incisions are small, and there is less physical handling of internal organs, results seen with MIS include shorter hospital stays, reduced post-operative pain, and faster recovery times.