Laparoscopic repair of a ruptured bladder in an adult mare

Summary A bladder rupture suffered by an adult mare during parturition was repaired, using a laparoscopic approach with the mare in dorsal recumbency. During the laparoscopic approach, the bladder was empty, inverted and had a rent on the dorsal apical surface. The bladder was located far caudally within the pelvis. By grasping the left lateral ligament and exerting gentle traction, it proved possible to manoeuvre the bladder more cranially where the rupture could be sutured. The benefits of the laparoscopic approach are reduction in incision size, visualisation of the tear, reachability of the empty bladder and the tear, and reduced reconvalescence time.