Utility of the Surgical Toggle-Pin Suture Technique for Left Displacement of the Abomasum in Pregnant Cattle

Although one-step laparoscopic abomasopexy is a highly effective method for correcting left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) in pregnant cows, it is not accessible to all veterinarians because of the need for expensive equipment and substantial experience. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of a surgical toggle-pin suture (s-TPS) technique, inspired by the principles of one-step laparoscopic abomasopexy, in five pregnant cows with LDA. In the s-TPS technique, a commercial eyeleteer was used to secure the suture component of a toggle-pin suture device outside the ventral abdominal wall. This was achieved after guiding the device to the left-displaced abomasum through a surgical incision made in the left flank of the standing animals. The average surgical time for the sTPS technique was 17.2 ± 2.3 min. All cows treated with this method survived for more than two years postoperatively. The sTPS technique appears to be a practical and effective option for correcting LDA during pregnancy, as it allows a physically smaller surgeon to perform the procedure on standing pregnant cows, eliminating the need for dorsal recumbency required by the conventional (blind) toggle-pin suture method.