Resection via carbon dioxide laser for the treatment of canine urethral prolapse is associated with a higher rate of complications.

OBJECTIVE

To document and evaluate postoperative complications associated with 3 urethral prolapse surgical techniques: urethropexy (UP), resection and anastomosis (RA), and resection via carbon dioxide (CO2) laser.

ANIMALS: 20 male dogs that underwent surgical treatment for urethral prolapse.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Dogs included in this study underwent surgical repair for urethral prolapse. Complications were classified as early if they occurred before discharge, late if they occurred after, and minor or major based on the need for revision.

RESULTS

6 UP, 10 RA, and 4 resection via CO2 laser procedures were performed. Minor complications occurred in 15 of 20 dogs (75%) and included mild hemorrhage (n = 8), hematuria (n = 6), mild swelling of the distal penis (n = 5), recurrence of prolapse that did not require revision (n = 2), pollakiuria (n = 2), stranguria (n = 2), and urethritis (n = 1). Major complications occurred in 7 of 20 dogs (35%): 3 of 6 in the UP group (50%), 0 of 10 in the RA group (0%), and 4 of 4 in the CO2 group (100%). Urethral stricture formation was only noted in the CO2 group. Recurrence occurred in 3 of 6 UP cases (50%), 2 of 10 RA cases (20%), and 1 of 4 CO2 cases (25%).

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There are no peer-reviewed publications that describe the use and complications of CO2 lasers in the surgical management of urethral prolapse in dogs.