Objective: To evaluate the effects of urinary bladder retroflexion (UBR) and surgical technique on postoperative complication rates and long-term outcome in dogs with perineal hernia.
Design: Retrospective case series.
Animals: 41 client-owned dogs with perineal hernia that underwent surgery between November 2002 and November 2009.
Procedures: Medical records were reviewed for information on dog signalment, history, physical examination findings, ultrasonographic findings, surgical techniques, intraoperative complications, duration of hospital stay, postoperative complications, and long-term outcome.
Results: 31 dogs had no UBR, and 10 dogs had UBR. Internal obturator muscle transposition (IOMT) was performed in 20 dogs, and a cystopexy or colopexy was performed before the IOMT (LapIOMT) in 21. Postoperative complications included tenesmus (n = 8) and urinary incontinence (1). Rates of postoperative complications were not significantly different between the no-UBR and UBR groups or between the IOMT and LapIOMT groups. Thirty-two dogs were free of clinical signs at the time of the study. The median disease-free interval did not differ significantly between dogs in the no-UBR and UBR groups, but it was significantly lower in the LapIOMT group than in the IOMT group. None of the 7 dogs with UBR that were treated without cystopexy developed recurrence of UBR.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: UBR was not associated with an increased rate of postoperative complications relative to no UBR and had no effect on the long-term outcome in dogs with perineal hernia. The use of IOMT alone may be recommended for clinical use because LapIOMT offered no clear advantage.