Comparison of carbon dioxide laserbipolar vessel device for staphylectomy for the treatment of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome.

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO) laser and bipolar vessel sealing device (BSD) are industry standards for soft palate resection. No studies exist to directly compare these 2 techniques in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare clinical outcomes for dogs that underwent COlaserBSD staphylectomy. Medical records of brachycephalic dogs that underwent COlaser (Group-L) or BSD staphylectomies (Group-B) between September 2013 and September 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Of 60 dogs that met the inclusion criteria, 26 dogs (43%) were designated Group-L and 34 (57%) Group-B. Techniques did not differ in procedure or anesthetic time (= 0.52 and= 0.19, respectively) or major complication rates [intraoperative (= 1.00), post-operative (= 0.72), short-term (= 1.00), and long-term (= 0.68)]. This study suggests that patient outcomes are similar for dogs undergoing staphylectomy performed by COlaser and BSD.