A Retrospective Study of Laparoscopic Cryptorchidectomy in 19 Cats with Intra-Abdominal Testes

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 181
• Main Authors: Villalobos-Gomez, Jesús, Del-Angel-Caraza, Javier, Tapia-Araya, Angelo, Brandao, Fausto, Hernández-López, Carlos Andrés, Martínez-Gomariz, Franscisco, Botero-Crespo, Carlos Eduardo, Properzi, Roberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 03.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Abdomen; Case reports; cat; Cats; companion animals; Complications; cryptorchidectomy; Cryptorchidism; cryptorchidism orchiectomy; Health services; Laparoscopy; Males; Mean; Medical records; Morbidity; Pain; Scrotum; Surgery; Surgical site infections; Testes; Testosterone; Visualization; laparoscopy; companion animals; cryptorchidism orchiectomy; cat; cryptorchidectomy
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13010181

Cryptorchidism is heritable in cats, and due to the pathological risk of testicular torsion, and the development of testicular neoplasia, cryptorchidectomy is the treatment of choice. For the intra-abdominal testes, a laparotomic approach is generally recommended; however, laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy in cats has been documented in a few clinical case reports. The aim of the study was to report the short-term clinical outcomes for 19 cryptorchid cats with intra-abdominal testes that underwent cryptorchidectomy with laparoscopic techniques. Medical records of client-owned sexually intact male cats that underwent laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy in different veterinary hospitals or ambulatory surgical services were reviewed. The procedure was performed in 19 cats. The average time (mean ± standard deviation, SD) for all procedures was 23 ± 6 min (range 15-35 min). The time for laparoscopic removal of a single abdominal testis was 22 ± 6 min, with 30 min for the bilateral abdominal testes. The time until hospital discharge varied depending on the surgeon's criteria, with a mean of 6 h (range 3-24 hrs). None of the cases analyzed showed any surgical complications. The results of this study suggest that laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy is an appropriate surgical procedure to treat cryptorchid cats with intra-abdominal testes, all with benefits of minimal invasion surgery.