VSR 421: Regional Veterinary Surgery (2+1)

OPERATION TECHNIQUE IN DOG

Prescrotal urethrotomy

• With the dog in dorsal recumbency, place a sterile catheter into the penile urethra to the scrotum or to the obstruction.
• Make a ventral midline incision through the skin and subcutaneous tissue between the caudal aspect of the os penis and scrotum.
• Identify, mobilize and retract the retractor penis muscle laterally to expose the urethra.
• Using a scalpel blade, make an incision into the urethral lumen over the catheter.
• Use iris scissors to extend the incision, if necessary.
• Remove calculi with forceps and gently flush the urethra with warm saline.

 

Urethral lumen flushed with warm saline

• Leave the incision to heal by secondary intention or close the urethra with simple interrupted absorbable sutures (4-0 or 5-0).
• Place the first layer in the urethral mucosa and corpus spongiosum then appose subcutaneous tissue and skin with simple interrupted sutures or a continuous subcuticular suture pattern.

Perineal urethrotomy

• Place a purse string suture in the anus.
• Place a sterile catheter into the urethra to the level of the bladder or the site of the obstruction.
• With the dog in sternal recumbency and rear limbs hanging over the edge of the table, make a midline incision over the urethra, midway between the scrotum and anus.
• Identify the retractor penis muscle, elevate it and retract it.
• Separate the paired bulbospongiosum muscles at their raphe to expose the corpus spongiosum then incise the corpus spongiosum to enter the urethral lumen.
• Close the incision as just described for prescrotal urethrotomy.