Soft Tissue Surgery

Experts in small animal soft tissue surgery

Soft tissue surgery comprises diagnosis and management of conditions involving the head, neck, thorax, abdomen and skin, including oncologic procedures. New referral patients will have a 40-minute consultation to allow a thorough clinical examination followed by a detailed discussion of any proposed diagnostic and surgical interventions, along with an accurate estimation of fees.

Commonly performed procedures:

BOAS: Assessment of these patients comprises an exercise tolerance test followed by video laryngoscopy and CT of the head, neck and thorax. Corrective surgery is tailored to the individual patient and can include alavestibuloplasty, soft palate resection, folded-flap palatoplasty, palatine tonsillectomy, laryngeal sacculectomy and cuneiformectomy. Our patients benefit from recovery in our 24-hour ICU.
Laryngeal paralysis: Assessment of these patients comprises video laryngoscopy and CT of the head, neck and thorax. A laryngeal tieback is typically performed under the same anaesthetic and carries a very high success rate.
Otitis: Chronic external and middle ear disease is common in our canine and feline patients. These patients are typically assessed by otoscopic examination followed by CT or MRI as appropriate. Procedures commonly performed are total ear canal ablation (with or without lateral bulla osteotomy), lateral wall resection and ventral bulla osteotomy.
Salivary mucoceles: Salivary mucoceles are a common condition in dogs and are easily diagnosed following a clinical examination. Surgical management via sialoadenectomy leads to a resolution in almost all cases.
Thoracic surgery: Surgical procedures of the thoracic cavity in dogs and cats are common and include lung lobectomy, pyothorax, chylothorax, pneumothorax, surgical ligation of PDA, pericardectomy and management of trauma. Our patients benefit from state-of-the-art anaesthetic monitoring and theatre facilities, and our supported by a specialist-led internal medicine service and 24-hour ICU.
Abdominal surgery: Commonly performed intra-abdominal procedures include liver lobectomy, extra-hepatic biliary tract surgery, portosystemic shunt attenuation, gastrointestinal tract surgery, adrenalectomy, urinary tract surgery and oncologic surgery. Again, our patients benefit from state-of-the-art anaesthetic monitoring and theatre facilities, and our supported by a specialist-led internal medicine service and 24-hour ICU.
Urinary incontinence: Urinary incontinence is a commonly seen problem in young and old patients. Investigation of these patients includes ultrasound, CT-IVU and cystoscopy. Commonly performed procedures include ectopic ureter correction and combined colposuspension/urethropexy for urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence in female dogs.
Wound management and reconstruction: We are able to offer a range of wound management techniques including sub-dermal plexus flaps, axial pattern flaps, free skin grafts and open-wound management.
Oncology: We have extensive experience in surgical oncology. Surgical procedures include mast cell tumour removal, soft tissue sarcoma removal, mandibulectomy/maxillectomy, nasal planum resections thyroid carcinoma removal, thoracic and abdominal wall resections, hemipelvectomy, intra-thoracic mass removal and celiotomy to allow management of gastro-intestinal, urogenital and other intra-abdominal tumours.
Portosystemic shunts: Surgical management of congenital portosystemic shunts can restore normal portal blood flow and give the patient a normal duration and quality of life. CT-angiography is used to provide detailed pre-surgical images of shunt morphology. Extrahepatic shunts are managed by placement of an ameroid constrictor or cellophane band. Intrahepatic shunts can be managed surgically or by transvenous coil embolization.

Key Benefits

Specialist-led service with over 2 decades’ experience of soft tissue surgery
Multidisciplinary hospital with support from a specialist-led internal medicine service and ICU with 24-hour inpatient care
24-7 availability with urgent cases and emergencies always seen
State-of-the-art facilities and equipment including environmentally controlled theatres, CT, MRI, digital radiography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound and endoscopy
Cutting-edge procedures including tracheal stenting for tracheal collapse, urethral stenting and ureteral stenting