• Common surgical procedure performed for access to the abdominal cavity and its organs.
• Performed via a midline incision.

Uses

• Neutering: ovariectomy/ovariohysterectomy/removal of retained testicles.
• Exploratory: upon discovery of palpable abnormalities, where other options unavailable or prohibited, eg cost. Allows evaluation and possible treatment via excision or diagnostic tests through sample collection.
• Gastrointestinal surgery, eg foreign body removal Gastrotomy/gastrectomy Enterotomy/enterectomy.
• Sample collection, eg biopsy of the liver.
• Urogenital access and surgery, eg cystotomy , access to the prostate (prostatic cysts).
• Organ removal, eg splenectomy, adrenalectomy.
• Partial pancreatectomy in cases of insulinomas Insulinoma.

Advantages

• Fast and easy access to abdominal organs requiring minimal surgical experience.
• Allows access to thoracic organs if incision extended through diaphragm.
• Easy biopsy collection.
• Allows for sample collection and possible surgery at the same time.

Disadvantages

• Invasive procedure.
• Post-operative complications, eg ileus, reduction of intestinal diameter post-enterotomy/enterectomy, pancreatitis due to pancreatic surgery.
• Risk of anesthesia.
• Risk of abdominal surgery, eg infection, tissue adhesions.

Technical problems

• Some individuals are particularly small (<1 kg) increasing difficulty and time of procedure.
• Anesthesia risk in compromised individuals.
• Surgery of the pancreas carries a high risk of trauma and post-operative pancreatitis.
• Enterotomy/enterectomies carry a risk of obstruction due to reduced intestinal lumen.
• Surgical neutering can increase the risk of hyperadrenocorticism later in life.
• Surgery of adrenal glands, in particular the right side, is challenging.

Alternative techniques

• Laparoscopic biopsy collection Biopsy overview - prohibited by size and equipment in some ferrets.
• Laparoscopic surgery - prohibited by size and equipment in some ferrets.
• Medical management of certain conditions in older individuals, eg insulinomas.

Time required

Preparation

• 5 min.

Procedure

• Dependent on need for laparotomy.
• Routine neutering of jills: 20 min.
• Exploratory laparotomy: 30-60 min.
• Splenectomy: 45-60 min.
• Organ biopsies: 30 min.
• Gastrointestinal surgery, eg enterotomy or enterectomy: 60 min.

Decision taking

Criteria for choosing test

• Acute abdominal disease, eg foreign body removal such as trichobezoars or ingested toys Gastrointestinal foreign bodies. Based on combined palpation findings and diagnostic imaging such as radiography [Radiography: digital] or ultrasonography.
• Sample collection for diagnosis, eg hepatic biopsy where endoscopy unavailable or restricted. Endoscopy often prohibited by the size of the patient.
• Surgical procedures, eg routine or interventional neutering.
• Suitable patients (younger individuals) for a partial pancreatectomy.

Risk assessment

• Anesthesia risk: many patients may present with signs of chronic illness and therefore suffer with secondary conditions such as hepatic lipidosis. This worsens prognosis for anesthesia and recovery.
• Patient age and presentation for the suggested surgery. Older individuals are unlikely to benefit from the increased life span after invasive surgeries such as adrenalectomy, which also carry significant risks.