Minimally Invasive Surgery in Latham, NY
November 1, 2018
Written by Chloe Wormser, VMD, DACVS
As the human-animal bond continues to grow, pet owners are increasingly aware of and concerned about pain resulting from surgical procedures for their pets. Pet owners also associate their own medical experiences with those of their pets and frequently ask for less invasive, less painful procedures. Minimally invasive surgery has therefore become more common in veterinary medicine in recent years.
What is Minimally Invasive Surgery?
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) refers to surgical procedures that are performed through one or multiple small incisions instead of one large incision via the use of specialized instrumentation, cameras, and video displays. The benefits of MIS are numerous and include reduced postoperative pain, preservation of patient immune status, and faster recovery. MIS has proven to have tremendous diagnostic and therapeutic value when it comes to evaluating and treating disease in the thoracic cavity (thoracoscopy), abdominal cavity (laparoscopy), and joints (arthroscopy) of companion animals.
The following minimally invasive surgical procedures are offered at Capital District:
- Thoracoscopic or thoracoscopic-assisted procedures
- Lung or pleural biopsy
- Lung lobectomy
- Pericardectomy
Laparoscopic or laparoscopic-assisted procedures:
- Liver biopsy
- Intestinal biopsy
- Ovariectomy
- Cryptochidectomy
- Cholecystectomy
Arthroscopic procedures:
- Shoulder osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), biceps tenosynovitis
- Elbow OCD, fragmented medial coronoid process, ununited anconeal process
- Stifle cranial cruciate ligament tears, meniscal tears
For more information on these procedures, or any surgical questions you may have, you can connect with us or your family veterinarian. Here at Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital, we work together with your family veterinarian to find the best medical treatment plans for both you and your pet.