Removing intestinal foreign bodies in dogs and cats without surgery

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to describe a surgical technique of intestinal foreign body retrieval without gastrotomy using an endoscopic grasper and digital manipulation, and to compare short-term outcomes with patients who had similar obstructive intestinal foreign bodies removed via gastrotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of dogs and cats with intestinal foreign bodies that underwent treatment with either the orogastric retrieval technique or gastrotomy between November 2021 and July 2023 were extracted. A comparison of the short-term outcomes was performed between the techniques. RESULTS: Fifty cases were enrolled with all cases having material manipulated out of the obstructive location in the intestinal tract and removed either by gastrotomy or orogastric retrieval via digital manipulation of the material into an endoscopic grasper or orogastric tube. No statistical differences were appreciated in intra-operative or post-operative complication rate, time to first meal or time to discharge. The gastrotomy procedures took 11.98 minutes longer than the endoscopic retrieval group. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Surgical removal of foreign bodies through a laparotomy-assisted orogastric retrieval technique is possible without the assistance of an endoscopy unit and offered no difference in complication rate or surgical outcomes.