VSR 421: Regional Veterinary Surgery (2+1)

RUMENOTOMY

Indications

• Exploratory, foreign body reticulitis, severe impaction, atony of omasum or abomasums, diaphragmatic hernia, rumen fistulation.

Anaesthesia and control

• Para vertebral or local infiltration analgesia.

Site

• Left flank in the para lumbar fossa. A vertical incision of 6-8 inches long.

Surgical technique

• Rumenotomy is performed through a left para lumbar incision in standing animal.
• The abdominal muscles and parietal peritoneum are tranversed by a direct incision corresponding to the skin incision.
• Following systematic exploration of the peritoneal cavity it is necessary to anchor the rumen to the incision to avoid contamination of the abdominal musculature and peritoneum during the rumenotomy procedure.
• For fixing the rumen following methods can be followed:
  • Continuous inversion suture pattern
  • Stay sutures
  • McIntock’s rubber rumenotomy cuff
  • Weingarth’s frame method
• Short incision is made on the rumen and extended enough to permit easy access by hand into the rumen and reticulum.
• The rumen contents are evacuated without contaminating the peritoneal cavity by proper packing.
• The reticulum can also be examined by stretching the hand through the large rumenoreticular orifice and the oesophageal groove.
• The row of continuous inversion sutures either connel’s or cushing by using No. 2 or No.3 chromic catgut.
• A second layer of sutures may be placed with lembert continuous suture and muscle layers are closed with mattress followed by continuous sutures.
• The skin incision is closed by vertical mattress or simple opposition sutures.