Stapled functional end-to-end intestinal anastomosis with endovascular gastrointestinal anastomosis staplers in cats and small dogs

ObjectivesTo investigate the use of endovascular gastrointestinal stapling devices to perform intestinal functional end-to-end stapled anastomosis in small dogs and cats.Materials and MethodsMedical records of dogs (<= 10 kg) and cats that underwent intestinal resection and functional end-to-end stapled anastomosis with an endovascular gastrointestinal anastomosis (endovascular-GIA) stapling device at five small animal referral centres between April 2014 and September 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Data including clinical findings, surgical technique, histopathology and complications were collected. A minimum follow-up of 10 days was required. Patients with follow-up of less than 10 days were included if they developed a major complication. Outcome was obtained from assessing the clinical records and contacting the referring veterinarians or owners. Estimated survival was generated according to the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences between survival curves were tested by log-rank test.ResultsTwenty-five patients (10 dogs and 15 cats) were included. The median bodyweight was 4.6 kg (range 2.6 to 10 kg). Nine patients were diagnosed with intestinal neoplasia, 16 with non-neoplastic intestinal disease. The median follow-up was 126 days (range 18 to 896 days). Five patients developed minor postoperative complications, including three superficial surgical site infections. No major postoperative complications were reported. Eighteen patients were alive at the end of the study, one patient was lost to follow-up. Kaplan-Meier estimated median survival time was not reached. Survival was significantly longer for patients with non-neoplastic versus neoplastic intestinal.Clinical SignificanceThe study suggests that the use of endovascular gastrointestinal anastomosis staplers is safe and effective to perform intestinal functional end-to-end stapled anastomosis in dogs <= 10 kg and cats.