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Veterinary Laparoscopy in India: A Future Perspective
in India due to reported advantages such as faster recovery, lower Veterinary laparoscopy certainly has advanced, but we hope to see it
risks, small incision better visibility, and fewer complications. expand even further. Most surgeries that are being done in veterinary
Laparoscopic surgery may provide a number of benefits but loss medicine can be done laparoscopically. Some of the more commonly
of depth perception, loss of touch, reduced degree of mobility for performed procedures include spay, cryptorchid neuter, abdominal
instruments, and the adoption of positions that are not usually exploratory, biopsy of internal organs, bladder stone removal,
ergonomic for long periods of time are some of the downsides of gastropexy to prevent gastric dilation volvulus. Laparoscopic surgical
laparoscopic surgery for the surgeon. Thus, it becomes necessary techniques allow veterinarians to perform procedures with less risk
for a surgeon to get enough hands-on experience in dry lab and discomfort, which is a win for all involved.
environment using simulators before moving to patients. Laparoscopic science has an enormously broad scope and a
Laparoscopy can lead to a major revolution in veterinary surgery high impact on welfare of animals; competence in this field should
as surgery done using laparoscopy has faster wound healing due urgently be promoted and provided in India. Efforts should be made
to small size of incision, thus providing better results in species to train the veterinarians in the field of laparoscopy to improve their
which are generally difficult to keep immobile. Government of understanding and learn surgical skills in laparoscopy, which will be
Himachal Pradesh has started a project of sterilization in monkeys very helpful for the veterinarians in acquiring not only techniques
using laparoscopy to control the population of monkeys who and responsibility toward animals but also help them to develop
are responsible for great losses in agricultural crops, because it an ethical attitude toward animals by improving animal welfare.
produces a relatively small surgical wound that requires very little We would like to see more veterinarians shifting from
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postoperative care or regular dressings. Few veterinarians in metro conventional surgery to laparoscopic surgery. The capacity for a
cities have also started to use this technique, but still they lack good veterinary hospital to offer laparoscopic surgery necessitates a
expertise and are also devoid of potential patients. large financial investment, both in terms of the time it takes for a
Laparoscopy is divided into two parts mainly: veterinarian to obtain the advanced training required to operate
laparoscopic equipment and in terms of the cost of equipment itself.
• Surgical laparoscopy: A number of surgical procedures are being Increased training availability is a good start, but equipment cost
done presently in field of veterinary surgery such as ovariectomy, reductions would be even better. We hope that future perspective
gastropexy, laparoscopically assisted enterotomy, cystotomy, of implementing laparoscopy surgery can be achieved by providing
and urethrocystoscopy. cost-effective newly developed intensive hands-on training
• Diagnostic laparoscopy: Laparoscopy was also used for program on veterinary laparoscopic surgery in the centers having
visualizing, examining, and collecting biopsies from different the state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure where participants
organs from different species of animals. Pregnancy diagnosis can launch their journey for keyhole surgery using laparoscopy. This
has also been done successfully using laparoscopy, but with type of centers will help participants to develop the psychomotor
the introduction of sonography, its use in pregnancy diagnosis skill for laparoscopic surgery by a distributed practice training
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has become obsolete. Laparoscopy has also been used for program consisting of theory, dry lab, cadaver training, simulator
insemination and embryo transfer of animals. training, and finally wet lab practice. The overall goal will be to train
The biggest advantage of laparoscopic surgery is that animals veterinarians for changing their approach and practice so that they
experience less pain and discomfort, primarily because of the can implement this technique with greater insight and confidence
smaller incisions, which results in less damage to both the affected for the benefit of voiceless animals in Indian context.
area and the surrounding tissues. Additionally, it results in less
blood loss, reduced risk of infections, reduced anesthesia time, references
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172 World Journal of Laparoscopic Surgery, Volume 14 Issue 3 (September–December 2021)