Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Complications after dog rectal mass removal with vessel sealing
By Halper, Brandon & Fulcher, Ryan·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of a bipolar vessel-sealing device for removal of caudal rectal masses in the dog has a similar complication rate to mucosal eversion suture technique (2019-2023).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with rectal masses underwent surgery to remove these growths using either a special vessel-sealing device or a traditional suturing technique. The study found that both methods had similar rates of complications after surgery, with about 27% of dogs using the vessel-sealing device and 24% using the suturing technique experiencing issues. Importantly, there were no major complications like perforation in either group. This suggests that the vessel-sealing device is a safe option for removing rectal masses in dogs.
People also search for: dog rectal mass surgery · vessel-sealing device for dog surgery · dog rectal mass complications
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare complication rates between the use of a vessel-sealing device (VSD) for removal of canine caudal rectal masses (CRM) to mucosal eversion suture (MES) techniques. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study from a referral practice in the US between January 2019 and May 2023 on client-owned dogs that had CRM removal through a transanal rectal eversion approach with only a VSD or MES techniques. The study compared age, weight, sex, clinical signs, preoperative diagnostics, histopathology results, and short-term complications within 14 days postoperatively. RESULTS: There were 36 dogs, including 15 in the VSD group and 21 in the MES group. It was found that the complication rate postoperatively was 27% in the VSD group and 24% in the MES group. There was found to be no significant difference in the complications associated with VSD and MES techniques on the removal of CRM in dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs undergoing polypectomy overall had a low chance of postoperative complications following removal with a VSD. There were no major complications such as perforation with the use of a VSD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We believe a VSD can be used safely to remove CRMs through a transanal approach, with comparable short-term complications to traditional MES techniques.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40499573/