Soft Tissue Surgery

The Soft Tissue Surgery Service led by Poppy Bristow is made up of a team of Specialist Consultants and Residents who routinely undertake surgery to treat congenital and acquired conditions, including oncological cases. Surgical procedures performed regularly include:

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome - Our surgical management includes laser-assisted turbinectomy and folded palatoplasty with careful medical therapy for gastro-oesophageal ulcer disease.

Laryngeal Paralysis - Our team has a wealth of experience in managing laryngeal paralysis and a dorsal crico-arytenoid rotation procedure is our currently preferred technique.

Surgical Oncology - We provide unrivalled expertise in the management of tumours and reconstructive surgery. This includes mast cell tumours; soft tissue sarcomas; oral tumours; thoracic tumours including pulmonary and chest wall; and tumours of the liver, spleen, kidney, urinary tract or intestine.

Urinary Incontinence - Approximately 80% of mature female dogs with urinary incontinence are diagnosed with urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI). Our success rates following combined urethropexy/colposuspension are so encouraging that we now recommend this approach routinely.

Wound Management and Reconstruction - We have a huge amount of experience in the application of wound management techniques ranging from vacuum-assisted wound closure to 
more conventional reconstructive techniques such as free skin grafts, local advancement flaps and direct distant flaps.

Portosystemic Shunts (PSS) - In the majority of PSS cases, surgery can restore normal blood flow to the liver with a normal life expectancy and restored quality of life. Closure of the vessel is achieved by placement of a cellophane band for the extra-hepatic shunts and by interventional radiological coil placement for more complex intra-hepatic shunts.

Minimally Invasive Surgery - We offer a comprehensive range of rigid endoscopic procedures from ovariectomy and biopsies to pericardiectomy and thoracic duct ligation. We also offer laparoscopic and thoracoscopic-assisted techniques (eg gastropexy, pulmonectomy, intestinal biopsy, portovenography, urolith removal).

Our veterinary staff are pleased to offer advice to colleagues in primary care practice.