A Single-Port, Multiple-Access, Custom-Made Device Used in Laparoscopically Assisted Cryptorchidectomy in Standing Horses-A Preliminary Study

Simple Summary This article evaluates a low-cost, multiport device for single access to the abdominal cavity of cryptorchid horses in the standing position. The device evaluation was initially carried out in five cadavers of bovine fetuses (n = 5) and later in four cryptorchid horses during routine hospital care. This study concludes that the device was efficient, allowing a wide exploration of the abdominal cavity, especially the inguinal region. Laparoscopically assisted cryptorchidectomy with the new device was feasible in two live animals and allowed the determination of the conditions of the retained testicles in the others, demonstrating the previous efficiency of the device in these cases.Abstract This study evaluates a new multiport device with single access to the abdominal cavity produced with routine hospital supplies that could be applied to laparoscopically assisted cryptorchidectomy in standing horses. Initially, the new device was evaluated on five cadavers of bovine fetuses (n = 5), placed assisted in a minilaparotomy performed in the flank region. Subsequently, the device was evaluated in four cryptorchid horses treated during the hospital routine. During the evaluation of the new device, the possibilities of exploring the abdominal cavity, inspection, and intra-abdominal manipulation with two Babcock forceps were verified. The possibilities were described, and surgical time data were recorded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. In the cadavers, a wide exploration of the abdominal cavity was possible, with a laparoscopic inspection through the right paralumbar fossa and manipulation of intra-abdominal structures with Babcock forceps inserted by the new device. In cryptorchid horses, laparoscopically assisted cryptorchidectomy with a new device was feasible in two patients, and in the others, it allowed the diagnosis of adhesions and ectopic locations in the inguinal region of testicles retained in the cavity. Therefore, the new device was efficient in exploring the inguinal region of cryptorchid horses in the standing position. The present study is preliminary and can support future studies that aim to improve the developed prototype.