Current concepts in minimally invasive surgery of the abdomen.

Milovancev, Milan; Townsend, Katy L

Minimally invasive surgery of the abdomen constitutes an increasingly common and developed set of surgical options in small animal veterinary patients. In addition to established procedures, such as laparoscopic gonadectomy and biopsies, more advanced procedures, such as adrenalectomy, cholecystectomy, cisterna chyli ablation, and lymph node extirpation, are described. Some laparoscopic procedures have been reported using different techniques or approaches, reflecting the field's progression beyond its infancy. Advances in equipment and experience among an ever-growing group of veterinary surgeons are expected to result in progressively more widespread adoption of minimally invasive procedures.