Veterinary Surgery April 2026 – Soft Tissue: HAVM Occlusion, Laparoscopic Warmups & PPDH Repair

In this Simini Small Animal Surgery Podcast episode, we continue our soft tissue coverage from the April 2026 issue of Veterinary Surgery by focusing on how minimally invasive surgery continues to evolve through better technique, better preparation, and smarter intraoperative decision-making. From hepatic vascular malformations to laparoscopic performance warmups and thoracoabdominal hernia repair, these studies show how modern surgery increasingly depends on understanding both the patient’s physiology and the surgeon’s performance under pressure.In this episode:✅ Weiss et al. — A 20-year retrospective study evaluating treatment strategies for hepatic arteriovenous malformations (HAVMs) in dogs. Medical management alone resulted in zero long-term survivors, while surgery dramatically improved outcomes. Among surgical approaches, dominant outflow vein occlusion (DOV) achieved a 95% acute occlusion rate and only 15% recurrence, significantly outperforming transarterial embolization (TAE), which showed a 53% recurrence rate due to collateral vessel recruitment. The study emphasizes the importance of venous outflow control using nonabsorbable suture ligation over mechanical occlusion devices. ✅ Foreman et al. — A prospective study investigating whether a simple 30-minute preoperative laparoscopic warmup improves surgical performance in veterinary students performing live dog ovariectomies. Students who completed simulator exercises and laparoscopic video gaming reduced operative time by 20 minutes (63 vs. 84 minutes) and achieved significantly higher performance scores. The findings highlight the role of psychomotor priming and structured warmups in minimally invasive surgery training. ✅ Massari et al. — The largest reported case series evaluating laparoscopic repair of peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernias (PPDH) in dogs and cats. Using ultra-low insufflation pressures (3–4 mmHg) and active pericardial venting, the authors achieved successful minimally invasive repair in 92% of cases. One patient required emergency conversion due to tension pneumopericardium and cardiovascular collapse, reinforcing the importance of careful hemodynamic management during thoracoabdominal laparoscopy. Together, these studies demonstrate that successful minimally invasive surgery depends just as much on preparation and physiology as it does on instrumentation.🎓 Journal Articles DiscussedWeiss et al. — Procedural descriptions and survival times for hepatic arteriovenous malformations (HAVM) in animals receiving primarily conservative treatment, arterial embolization, or dominant outflow vein occlusionForeman et al. — Effects of preoperative warm-ups on veterinary medical students' performance with live dog laparoscopic ovariectomyMassari et al. — Laparoscopic repair of peritoneopericardial hernias: Multicentric retrospective case series of 12 dogs and one cat📚 From the April 2026 issue of Veterinary Surgery🎁 Want to learn more about Simini Protect Lavage or request a sample?Learn More: www.simini.comRequest a Sample:https://www.simini.com/evaluation-kit