Evaluation of surgical duration using two different burrs for percutaneous endoscopic mini-hemilaminectomy in cats

ObjectivesThis study aimed to compare the influence of two burr types on surgical time during percutaneous endoscopic mini-hemilaminectomy (PE-MHL) in feline cadavers.MethodsA total of 12 skeletally mature domestic shorthair cat cadavers underwent bilateral PE-MHL at L4-L5 using either a diamond or a cutting burr in alternating order. Surgical duration, surgical side, postoperative CT bone window area and the percentage of lamina removed were compared. Approximately 30% laminar removal was targeted. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM and analysed using Shapiro-Wilk and Levene's tests, followed by Student's t-tests (P ⩽0.05).ResultsAll procedures were completed successfully. Mean procedure time was significantly shorter with the diamond burr (20.85 ± 1.44 mins) than with the cutting burr (25.62 ± 1.49 mins; P = 0.03). The surgical side had no significant effect on any parameter. Mean bone window areas were comparable between burrs (68.42 ± 2.02 mm² vs 63.92 ± 3.19 mm²; P = 0.27). The overall mean of lamina removed was 32.38 ± 2.31%, closely matching the intraoperative target. Three cutting burrs broke, whereas no failures occurred with diamond burrs.Conclusions and relevanceBoth burr types were effective for PE-MHL in feline cadavers. The diamond burr enabled more efficient, precise and controlled bone removal, resulting in smoother bone margins and consequently reduced procedure times. These findings suggest that the diamond burr may be a more reliable instrument for controlled bone removal under endoscopic conditions and provide the basis for future in vivo studies.