Clinical Outcomes in Dogs Undergoing Cholecystectomy via a Transverse Incision: A Meta−Analysis of 121 Animals Treated between 2011 and 2021.

Simple Summary: Cholecystectomy in small-breed dogs through a conventional midline incision requires a long surgical and anesthesia time due to the difficulty in securing the surgical field. In this study, we compare the surgical results of 121 dogs that underwent cholecystectomy over a 10-year period through a transverse incision with previously reported surgical results, and discuss the advantages of transverse incision. Veterinarians with more than 5 years of surgical experience at the referral animal hospital who participated in this study found that it was possible to shorten the surgical time compared with that taken with a conventional midline incision by securing a proper operation view. Comparing with previous studies of cholecystectomy in which the operation time was reported, the dogs in this study had similar indications and perioperative mortality rate, but a significant reduction in the operation time was confirmed through statistical analysis. The results of our study may help in the treatment of dogs in emergency situations where long anesthesia is a burden. Although many studies have been conducted on the use of median and transverse incisions in various surgeries in the field of human medicine, related studies in veterinary medicine are lacking. This study aimed to present treatment options for dogs requiring cholecystectomy by reporting the pros and cons of 121 cholecystectomies performed via transverse incision at our hospital over 10 years. In most included cases, nonelective cholecystectomy was performed in an unstable emergency situation. The perioperative mortality rate was 23.14%, which was not significantly different from that of cholecystectomy performed via the conventional midline approach. However, the overall operation time (46.24 ± 6.13 min; range 35–65 min) was shortened by securing an adequate surgical field of view. The transverse incision approach facilitates fast and accurate surgery without increasing the fatality rate in small-breed dogs, in whom securing an adequate surgical field of view is difficult. Thus, transverse incision should be actively considered in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy due to emergency conditions, such as bile leakage or biliary tract obstruction, since prolonged anesthesia can be burdensome. This study may improve cholecystectomy outcomes in small-breed dogs with difficult-to-secure surgical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]