Reptile and Fish surgery Flashcards
What considerations with reptiles?
- Some species have bladders or not?
- Spectacle or not?
- Autotomy ?
Surgeon & patient considerations?
- PAtient must have optimum ventilation -> extend neck, IPPV, body positioned to minimise coelomic contents impinging on lungs/ air was
- Surgeon must have optimum motor control
- Magnification if needed
What equipment considerations?
○ Fine tipped microsurgical equipment ideal for
smaller patients.
○ Can use normal surgical equipment for most
patients.
○ Dremel oscillating, thin blade.
What haemostasis ocnsiderations?
● Minimise blood loss 0.5-0.8ml/100g max amount.
● Sterile cotton tip applicators
● Artery forceps
● Suture material
● Haemoclips
● Haemostatic sponge.
How do we stabilise reptiles?
- Warmth
- Analgesia
- Fluids
- Nutritional support
What baselines do we want pre-GA?
Bloods ; RR; HR
Assessing pain?
- Absence of normal bhvr
- Hunched?
- Hiding ?
- Rubing at affected area?
- Change to HR, RR, depth
What fluid infusion rate recommendation for reptiles?
- 3ml/kg /hr
(differences in metabolism)
What post-op considerations reptiles?
- Monitor (recovery times in reptiles are prolonged compared with birds and mammals)
- Analgesia essential
- Fluid and nutritional support
- Therapeutic laser therapy
- Phovia
Describe surgical skin prep - reptiles
● Wash off any mud/substrate prior to anaesthesia
● Povidone iodine & appropriate contact time.
● Clean tooth brush to scrub between scales
● Avoid excessive use of alcohol due to evaporative losses
What different scales to consider?
normal vs letherback vs silkback bearded dragons
-> silkbacks very thin, small scales tears easily
Where to incise with regards to scales?
between them to reduce risk of dysecdysis
Reasons for skin surgery ?
- Lump removal -> often neoplasia
- Abscess surgery -> thick, caseous material within a thick capsule
- Wound management
What wound closure?
- Monofilament suture repair
- Everting pattern (horizontal mattress)
- Wound healing longer - sutures left in approx -8 wks
Who are aural abscesses common in ?
semi-aquatic and aquatic species
Vit A role in aural abscesses
role in vision and production and
maintenance of epithelial surfaces.
C/S
conjunctivitis, aural asbcesses, dysecdysis, respiratory signs
TX for aural abscesses?
Vit supplementation / address husabandry (caution)
Surgery for aural abscess?
Sternal recumbency -> semi-circular incision -> curette out purulent material -> ensure clear eustachian tube -> flush -> leave surgical site open -> AMs
describe subspectacular dx
- Distention of the subspectacular space and neovascularization of the spectacle as a result of blockage of the NL duct in snakes an dlizard species, which possess spectacles
- Fluid builds up and often becomes infected and insipissated
Step 1 - Subspectacular dx surgery
make 30-90° resection from the ventral aspect, in the most dependent part of the spectacle
Step 2 - Subspectacular dx surgery
Remove the caseous material (send off for cytology and culture)
- Flush until infected material removed
Step 3 Subspectacular dx surgery
- Cornea should now be visible and exposed
- Open mouth; it is easier to catherise the buccal opening of the NL duct. This is found close to cranial margin of the palatine teeth
Step 4 Subspectacular dx surgery ?
Flush retrograde to remove material
Leave the spectacle wedge incision open - apply topical ophthalmic medication
Healing of spectacle?
- Germinal epithelium of the spectacle is repaired in approx 3 weeks
- Complete spectacle healing often takes 3 months
Approaches to celiotomy
- Paramedian (black of the picture)
- Midline
What to avoid with coeliotomy?
large abdominal vein branching into the paired pelvic veins
Describe paramedian approach to coeliotomy
Make a craniocaudal incision, parralel but lateral to the midline. This si to avoid the ventral abdo vein
use reversed guarded scalpel blade to avoid iatrogenic damage
Describe right lateral recumbency approach to coeliotomy (in chameleons)
Dissection along the ventral border of the ribcage
use sterile cotton tipped applicators to dissect through the thin abdo musculature and coelomic membrane to enter coelemic cavity
(CARE do not rupture distended bladder if operating a species with a bladder
Describe ovaries in reptiles
- Reproductively inacitve lizzard ovaries small
- Located adjacent top dorsal renal veins and adrenal glands in mid caudal coelom
- Ative ovaries enlarged and mesovarian vessels are larger
Describe ovariectomy
- Gently exteriorise ovary and place vascular clips along the mesovarium to ligate vessels
- Dissect ovary
- Oviduts often small and involuted and do not need to be removed unless there is pathology
Describe coelomic closure in town layers
- Coelomic membrane and muscle simple continuous or simple interrupted
- Skin- horizontal mattress, monofilament absorbable suture (PDS)
(in small lizards not always possible to suture coelomic membrane or thin abdo muscles)
Describe the midline approach? step 1
- Incision between pubis and umbilical scar as ventral abdo bein devices into the pelvic veins
Describe the midline approach? step 2
Incision extended cranially using blunt dissection to reveal abdominal vein must be avoided and gently retracted laterally
Describe the midline approach? step 3
closure is routine - using everting skin pattern
What approach to coeliotomy in snakes?
Multiple incisions may need to be made; it is impossible to make a single coeliotomy incision to visualise all organs
Describe Snake Coeliotomy
Make the incision between the second and third rows (or first and second rows) of lateral scales (surgeons’ preference)
Incise between scales
Dissect through the subcutaneous layer
Dissect through the muscle layer, just ventral to the ribs
Enter the coelom
Describe snake coeliotomy closure
A two-layer closure
o Coelomic membrane and muscle
o Skin (position knots on the dorsal side of the incision)
o Skin closure: everting horizontal mattress pattern
What is salpingotomy? Why may we need to do it ?
Opening into the fallopian tube but tube itself is not removed in procedure
Bc often multiple coeliotomy incisions to access all of the oviduct
How do we do salpingotomy in the snake?
Incise oviduct in a healthy appearing section (when inflamed the wall is thicker but more friable)
Gently manipulate the egg along and into the incision site for removal.
If adhered to oviduct wall, insert an IV cannula between the egg and oviduct wall and inject sterile saline
(or sterile water-soluble lubricant 1:10 lubricant to sterile saline) to separate the wall from the egg
Approximately, 3-5 eggs can be manipulated through a single incision.
Once eggs removed - clsoure fo slapingotomy?
Close oviduct with fine monoF synthetic absorbable on atraumatic needle in a two-layer inverting pattern or a simple continuous oversewn with an inverting pattern
Describe an Ovariosalpingectomy
Ovariectomy or ovariosalpingectomy where there is severe pathology to the reproductive tract.
Will prevent further episodes of dystocia/breeding.
Ovaries are cranial to the oviduct and must be approached through separate incisions or by extending the
coeliotomy craniad until ovaries are identified.
Indications for Chelonian coeliotomy
- Prefemoral approach better but transplastron approach -> longe rop time, more painful postop but extensive surgical access
What chelonion coeliotomy LAndmarks?
- HEART -> RED CICLE : IN THE MIDLINE INTERSECTION OF THE PECTORAL AND ABDOMINAL SCUTES
- PLASTRON HINGE: PURPLE LINE; OFTEN BETWEEN ABDO AND femoral scutes
- Abdo veins: red lines: parallel , running in a craniocaudal direction below the plastron
- BLACK RECTANGLE -> plastronotomy site
Plastronoomy - practical things to remmeber?
- Oscillating saggital saw OR high speed dremel
- Wear eye protection
- Avoid overheating o blade by irrigating with saline