Castration of the stallion: Preferably in the standing horse by laparoscopic techniques?

Progress in the laparoscopic techniques has made it possible to remove an abdominal testicle in the standing horse. As abdominal cryptorchidism is usually unilateral, the descended testicle is removed using a classic standing castration technique. However, this latter technique is not considered ideal as it is difficult to guarantee asepsis, and can be dangerous for the surgeon, Therefore, a study was initiated to castrate descended testicles in the standing horse using a laparoscopic technique. in six Welsh pony stallions, 2 years of age, each with 2 descended testicles, the mesorchium, including the testicular artery and vein, are ligated intraabdominally and the testicles are left in place. The measurements of plasmatestosteron levels, the clinical examination and the results of the necropsy of the ponies 5 months postoperatively revealed, that the testicles atrophy and were no longer functional. Also, the results of the surgery on 9 unilateral inguinal cryptorchids, one bilateral inguinal cryptorchid, 17 unilateral abdominal cryptorchids (of which 5 were castrated unilaterally), 2 bilateral abdominal cryptorchids and 12 ,,normal" stallions are described. In conclusion, the surgical technique described in this report is a safe and efficient method of castrating descended testicles in the standing patient. Advantages include reduced tissue trauma, no risk because of general anaesthesia, a quicker return to normal work and reduced hospitalization time.