Laparoscopic-assisted urinary bladder marsupialization in a goat that developed recurrent urethral obstruction following perineal urethrostomy.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 5-year-old castrated male Nigerian Dwarf goat with recurrent urethral obstruction after perineal urethrostomy.

CLINICAL FINDINGS

The wether goat was referred for evaluation of a perineal urethrostomy site; perineal urethrostomy had been performed 1.5 years earlier. The site was patent, but a moderate stricture was found just cranial to the perineal urethrostomy site. The goat had obstructed urine flow at the stricture site repeatedly in the previous few months.

TREATMENT AND OUTCOME

Laparoscopically assisted urinary bladder marsupialization was recommended. The procedure was performed with the patient under general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency; food had been withheld for 36 hours prior to anesthesia. Ventral midline and left caudal paramedian portals were made for the laparoscopic camera and instruments. A larger incision in the right caudal paramedian portion of the abdomen was used to create the marsupialization stoma. Laparoscopic observation of anatomic structures within the abdomen was excellent. The goat recovered well from surgery and was discharged the day following surgery. Follow-up examinations were done every few months after surgery, and dermatitis of the abdominal skin secondary to urine scald was the only postoperative complication. At 9 months of follow-up, the goat continued to pass urine through the marsupialization site comfortably.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In the goat of this report, laparoscopic urinary bladder marsupialization was a minimally invasive procedure with minimal signs of postoperative pain. The procedure was simple to perform and should be considered as an alternative to marsupialization via laparotomy.