Vessel Sealing Systems in Veterinary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Current Evidence and Clinical Applications

Vessel sealing systems (VSSs) are medical devices that use bipolar electrothermal energy to seal blood vessels by denaturing collagen and elastin in the vessel wall, successfully occluding the vessel and reducing blood loss during surgical procedures. These devices eliminate the need for conventional ligatures or surgical clips in many situations and have become widely adopted in both human and veterinary surgery. Reported advantages include reduced operative time, improved hemostasis, decreased blood loss, and the ability to perform dissection and vessel sealing with a single instrument. The objective of this article is to summarize the current evidence regarding vessel sealing technology and discuss its applications in veterinary oral and maxillofacial surgery. Published studies from human head and neck surgery and veterinary surgery demonstrate that VSSs are safe and effective for a variety of procedures, including neck dissection, thyroidectomy, parotidectomy, and tonsillectomy. In veterinary oral and maxillofacial surgery, vessel sealing devices can facilitate maxillectomy, mandibulectomy, glossectomy, sialoadenectomy, tonsillectomy, staphylectomy, lymphadenectomy, and other soft tissue resections where reliable hemostasis is essential. Potential limitations include thermal injury, device cost, and concerns regarding repeated reuse of single-use handpieces. Nevertheless, current evidence and the authors' clinical experience support VSSs as valuable surgical tools that improve surgical efficiency and hemostasis during complex oral and maxillofacial procedures.