Feline laparoscopy for gastrointestinal disease

Laparoscopy offers a minimally invasive route by which to evaluate the abdominal cavity, assess abdominal organs and tissues, and obtain a histopathologic diagnosis in a variety of feline gastrointestinal diseases. This article concentrates on the diagnostic utility of the procedure, but there are a number of surgical procedures that can be performed with laparoscopy as well. The most common use of diagnostic laparoscopy in the feline is to obtain a biopsy of the liver, but a variety other extra-intestinal tissues can be sampled relatively easily; biopsy of the pancreas and aspiration of the gallbladder are particularly relevant to feline gastrointestinal disease. Laparoscopy is often performed on an outpatient basis, there are very few absolute contraindications to the procedure, and laparoscopy results in minimal morbidity or mortality. The skill set required for the use of laparoscopy in the vast majority of feline cases can be readily mastered by the practitioner to a level of proficiency that makes this procedure a high-yield, efficient, and cost-effective diagnostic tool.