Laparoscopic ovariectomy with a single-port multiple-access device in seven African lionesses (Panthera leo)

CASE DESCRIPTION 7 privately owned female African lions (Panthera leo) that had been bred for public exhibition and were housed in outdoor pens were evaluated prior to undergoing elective ovariectomy. CLINICAL FINDINGS All animals were healthy. Median age was 15 months (range, 9 to 34 months), and median body weight was 71 kg (156 lb; range, 48 to 145 kg [106 to 319 lb]). TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Surgical sterilization by means of single-incision laparoscopic ovariectomy was elected. A 2- to 3-cm-long skin incision was made just caudal to the umbilicus, and a single-port multiple-access device was bluntly inserted through the incision. Traction was maintained with stay sutures to provide counterpressure, and three 5-mm-diameter cannulae were introduced through the device's access channels with a blunt trocar. The abdomen was insufflated to a pressure of 12 mm Hg with CO2. Each ovary was grasped and suspended with a standard 36-cm-long laparoscopic grasper, and ovariectomy was performed with a 5-mm vessel sea...