Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat nerve problems after perineal urethrostomy surgery
By Slunsky, Pavel et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·Small Animal Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of intraoperative positioning on postoperative neurological status in cats after perineal urethrostomy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 male cats with urinary issues underwent a surgery called perineal urethrostomy, where they were positioned either on their backs or stomachs during the procedure. After surgery, the cats showed a decrease in the reflex response in their rear end and an increase in spinal pain within the first 24 hours. However, there was no significant difference in recovery or neurological function between the two positioning methods after surgery. Overall, while some changes were noted shortly after the operation, neither positioning method was found to be better than the other for recovery.
People also search for: cat urinary surgery recovery · cat spinal pain after surgery · perineal urethrostomy cat care
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate and quantify the changes in neurological status in cats after perineal urethrostomy performed in dorsal and ventral recumbency. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomised study. Twenty male castrated cats with feline lower urinary tract disease presented for perineal urethrostomy were enrolled in this study. Surgery was performed in either dorsal recumbency (group A) or ventral recumbency (group B). Motor response of patellar tendon, gastrocnemius muscle, pelvic limb withdrawal and perineal reflexes, as well as the presence of spinal pain in the lumbosacral region, motor function of the tail and faecal continence, were examined before surgery, and 24 h and 14 days after surgery. RESULTS: The animals had a mean weight of 5.07 ± 1.08 kg, with a mean age of 6.12 ± 1.85 years. Weight and age were not significantly different between groups A and B (both= 0.897). All tested parameters of the neurological examination performed prior to surgery were considered normal in both groups (= 1). The comparison between neurological examinations (perineal reflex and spinal pain) before and 24 h after surgery revealed a significantly decreased briskness of the perineal reflex and an increased occurrence of spinal pain 24 h after surgery (= 0.043 and= 0.031, respectively). However, the changes of aforementioned parameters were statistically insignificant (= 0.249 and= 0.141) between groups A and B. The other parameters (patellar tendon, pelvic limb withdrawal and gastrocnemius muscle reflexes, motor function of the tail and faecal continence) were statistically insignificant (= 1) before surgery and 24 h after surgery, as well as between groups A and B 24 h after surgery. Results of all tested parameters were statistically insignificant (= 1) before surgery and 14 days after surgery, as well as between groups A and B 14 days after surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The briskness of the perineal reflex was significantly decreased and the occurrence of spinal pain significantly increased 24 h after surgery. A parallel with a low-grade positioning-dependent nerve injury as described in human medicine may be drawn. However, no positioning method was proven to be superior to the other.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30392433/