Surgical technique for the management of acquired phimosis in 3 kittens.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe a surgical technique applicable to all types of acquired phimosis in kittens. ANIMALS: 3 kittens with phimosis. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Medical records from a single hospital were reviewed to identify cats younger than 6 months old that had undergone extensive surgical treatment for phimosis. For each kitten, data regarding signalment, clinical signs, blood tests, history, treatments, surgical procedure, postoperative complications, and outcome were collected. Three kittens met the inclusion criteria. They all had a history of dysuria (n = 3), stranguria (3), and hematuria (3). All of them also had a history of preputial licking by littermates. On clinical examination, abdominal palpation revealed a distended bladder and an inability to extrude the penis through the prepuce (n = 3). The prepuce was distended with urine (n = 3). One cat had presented with a previous episode of hematuria, which resolved with NSAIDs. Two cats exhibited moderate azotemia, while the urea and creatinine values of the third were within normal limits. RESULTS: The surgical technique involved a wedge incision of the prepuce, extended circumferentially around the preputial opening, combined with extensive dissection of the penile-preputial adhesions. The 3 kittens underwent the extensive surgical technique without perioperative complications, and no recurrence was observed 6 months after the surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This technique of extensive preputioplasty may represent an effective option for the management of kittens with phimosis and penile preputial adhesions.