title: Prepubertal gonadectomy in cats: different surgical techniques and comparison with gonadectomy at traditional age.
abstract: Feasibility, surgical time and complications of different surgical techniques for prepubertal gonadectomy (PPG; 8-12 weeks of age) in cats were studied and compared to gonadectomy at traditional age (TAG; 6-8 months of age). Kittens were randomly assigned to PPG or TAG. Ovarian pedicle haemostasis for PPG was achieved by ligatures (n=47), vascular clips (n=50), bipolar electrocoagulation (n=50), or pedicle tie (n=50); for TAG (n=34) ligatures were used. In male cats, PPG consisted of closed castration by spermatic cord knot (n=92) or ligature (n=91) while TAG (n=34) was an open castration by spermatic cord knot. A linear (surgical time) and a logistic regression (complications) model were designed. Significance was set at 0.05. For female PPG, clips and coagulation were the fastest procedures; placement of ligatures was most time-consuming. In male PPG, knot placement was significantly faster than ligation. In both sexes, very few intraoperative or wound complications were observed, irrespective of the surgical technique used. Surgical times in females (ligatures) as well as in males (knot) were significantly shorter for PPG than for TAG. PPG was as safe as TAG, yet took less time to perform and did not result in a greater rate of postoperative complications.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Porters
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moons
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duchateau
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goethals
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huyghe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Rooster
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary*; D002415:Cats / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D061646:Operative Time; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000662:veterinary; D011897:Random Allocation; D012741:Sexual Maturation