[Towards a veterinary-professional standard concerning castration in stallions]

Complications following castration are increasingly often regarded as unacceptable by the owners of horses. A veterinary surgeon can only be held responsible for the consequences of his professional procedure when castration is not performed according to the rule (lege artis), i.e. if the surgeon failed to act in accordance with professional veterinary standards. So far, there is no consensus concerning the standard regarding the castration of stallions as various techniques are being used, and as some veterinary surgeons consider complications to be a normal risk in surgery. Visceral prolapse should be considered to be the most serious complication, particularly following 'open' castration. Although exact data are not available, it is the impression of the present authors that the incidence of intestinal evisceration and inguinal hernia in stallions is increasing in the Netherlands. When high priority is given to the prevention of evisceration, the 'open' method of castration should be abandoned. To reduce the hazard of evisceration to a minimum, the (half)closed technique, which involves crushing and ligation of the spermatic cord enclosed in the vaginal tunic, is recommended. This procedure enhances the risk of wound infection and scirrhous cord. However, these complications may be reduced when a high degree of asepsis is maintained during surgery.