Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernioplasty with a Polyether Ether Ketone Anchoring Device in Intact Male Horses Does Not Compromise Testicular Perfusion, Sperm Production or Motility Characteristics.

Abstract

A new surgical technique using a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) anchoring device for testicle-sparing laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty in stallions was described in 2023 and is known as the PEEK harpoon technique (PHT). In breeding stallions, it is essential that the surgery is effective in preventing inguinal hernia but also that it does not impair the testicular function. This study aims to evaluate whether the PHT may affect testicular function. To achieve that, changes in the testicular blood flow, sperm production and motility characteristics were assessed 28 days after use of the PHT. Standing laparoscopic hernioplasty using the PHT was performed unilaterally in eight healthy (non-previously herniated) experimental intact males. The contralateral inguinal canals and testicles were used as control. Pre- and post-surgery Doppler ultrasonographic evaluations of testicular perfusion were performed serially. Bilateral castration was performed at 28 days post-surgery, and epididymal sperm were obtained from both testicles to analyze seminal characteristics. No significant differences were identified in regard to testicular perfusion and the sperm characteristics of the control and operated testicles, suggesting that the PHT-based hernioplasty would not compromise testicular function. Further studies evaluating effects over a longer period are needed, but our data indicate that the PHT is suitable for testicle-sparing inguinal laparoscopic hernioplasties in breeding stallions with a history or predisposing factors of inguinal herniation.