Testicular reperfusion injury, post ligation of the spermatic cord in Canine species

Abstract

This experiment was aimed at investigating the level of tissue regeneration following sanguineous reperfusion post ligation of the spermatic cord in dogs. A total of 5 adult Nigerian local dogs conditioned for 3 weeks, laboratorily evaluated twice weekly prior to surgery were maintained for 1month. Dogs were aseptically operated under general anaesthesia. A prescrotal mid-ventral incision was made to access the tunics and ligated (with 2-0 chromic catgut) as in closed castration in canines. Two ligatures were placed proximal and distal on the tunics of the spermatic cord 1.5cm apart to each other to completely occlude the vascular supplies to the testicles. Skin closures were by a single horizontal suture stitch.
A second operation was performed to undo the ligatures placed on the spermatic cords as follows: Dog 1(24hours), Dog 2 (72hours), Dog 3(96hours), and Dog 4 (120hours) and Dog 5 (144hours) to allow for reperfusion. A third operation was performed two weeks later to harvest the testicles together with their spermatic cords but noticed that all ligated testicles were complete necrotized and degenerated. Tissue necrosis was suggestive of severe ischaemia due to the fact that the scrotal sac and its contents are highly sensitive and respond to pain extremely fast. From our finding, it is realized that the resistibility of these organ to injury is very low and dies very fast when its vascular supply is interrupted.