Comparison of conventional ligatures and a vessel sealing device for haemostasis during open ovariohysterectomy in rabbits

ABSTRACT

Aims

To compare surgical times and rates of intra-operative and post-operative complications for open ovariohysterectomy (OVH) in female rabbits using conventional ligatures or a vessel sealing device (VSD) for haemostasis.

Methods

Female pet rabbits (n = 23) presented for OVH for either desexing or treatment of reproductive disorders were randomly assigned to a conventional ligatures (CL) group (n = 12) or a LigaSure 5-mm (LS5) group (n = 11). In the CL group, the ovarian pedicles were ligated with a single surgeon’s knot. After transection of the ovarian pedicles, the broad ligament was manually broken down along the uterine horns to their respective cervices. In the LS5 group, both ovarian pedicles and the broad ligaments were sealed with a LigaSure Dolphin Tip VSD with 5-mm forceps. All the rabbits were hospitalised for 24 hours after surgery. Two weeks after discharge, a clinical recheck examination was performed. Incision length, overall surgical time (from initial incision to completion of intradermal suturing), OVH time (from identification of the first ovary to transection of the vaginal vault), and intra- and post-operative complications were recorded and compared between groups, using the Student’s t-test for normally distributed continuous data, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test for non-normally distributed continuous data and Pearson’s χ² test for categorical data.

Results

The mean overall surgical time was 14.1 (SD 4.4) minutes. The surgery took 15.0 (SD 4.9) minutes in the CL group and 13.1 (SD 3.8) minutes in the LS5 group (p=0.10). The OVH time was shorter in the LS5 group (mean 4.2 (SD 0.9) minutes) than in the CL group (mean 6.3 (SD 1.7) minutes; p = 0.005). No intra-operative complications were encountered in the LS5 group. Haemorrhage occurred in three rabbits in the CL group. One rabbit in the LS5 group developed steatonecrosis post-operatively. There was no evidence of a difference in the proportion of rabbits that experienced intra- and post-operative complications (p = 0.25 and p = 0.94 respectively) between groups.

Conclusions

The use of a LigaSure 5-mm VSD and conventional ligatures during open OVH were both associated with similar overall surgical times and complication rates. The OVH times were shorter in the LS5 group compared to the CL group.

Clinical relevance

Use of the LigaSure 5-mm VSD allows efficient haemostasis while performing open OVH in female pet rabbits.

KEYWORDS:

• Ovariohysterectomy
• rabbits
• vessel sealing device
• LigaSure
• ligatures

Acknowledgements

We thank Vincent Margot for assistance with the statistical analysis of this study. Some results of this report were presented during the European College of Veterinary Surgeons Congress in 2021.