A Retrospective Study of Laparoscopic Cryptorchidectomy in 19 Cats with Intra-Abdominal Testes

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cryptorchidism is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum and remain there by 7–8 months of age and is considered the most common congenital disease in male dogs and cats. The prevalence of cryptorchidism in cats is 1.3–6.2%, and can be categorized as unilateral or bilateral and, depending on the location of the testes, as intra-abdominal, inguinal, or pre-scrotal. Due to the risk of testicular torsion, the development of testicular neoplasia and the fact that the cryptorchid testes still produce testosterone, cryptorchidectomy is the treatment of choice for these affected cats. For the intra-abdominal testes, a laparotomy for a caudal midline approach is generally recommended. However, laparoscopy in cryptorchidectomy in cats has been documented in a few clinical cases reports. The aim of the study was to report the short-term clinical outcomes for 19 cryptorchid cats with intra-abdominal testes that underwent cryptorchidectomy with laparoscopic techniques. The results of this study suggest that laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy is an appropriate procedure to treat cryptorchid cats, with all benefits of the minimal invasive surgery, such as a better visibility of abdominal structures, shorter hospitalization times, lower morbidity, less surgical site infections, and most importantly, minimized surgical pain and discomfort. ABSTRACT: Cryptorchidism is heritable in cats, and due to the pathological risk of testicular torsion, and the development of testicular neoplasia, cryptorchidectomy is the treatment of choice. For the intra-abdominal testes, a laparotomic approach is generally recommended; however, laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy in cats has been documented in a few clinical case reports. The aim of the study was to report the short-term clinical outcomes for 19 cryptorchid cats with intra-abdominal testes that underwent cryptorchidectomy with laparoscopic techniques. Medical records of client-owned sexually intact male cats that underwent laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy in different veterinary hospitals or ambulatory surgical services were reviewed. The procedure was performed in 19 cats. The average time (mean ± standard deviation, SD) for all procedures was 23 ± 6 min (range 15–35 min). The time for laparoscopic removal of a single abdominal testis was 22 ± 6 min, with 30 min for the bilateral abdominal testes. The time until hospital discharge varied depending on the surgeon’s criteria, with a mean of 6 h (range 3–24 hrs). None of the cases analyzed showed any surgical complications. The results of this study suggest that laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy is an appropriate surgical procedure to treat cryptorchid cats with intra-abdominal testes, all with benefits of minimal invasion surgery.