Although laparoscopic castration reduces the risk of problems (such as edema and infection) after surgery and allows for a shorter recovery time. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Claire de Fourmestraux

Researchers and veterinarians constantly seek safer ways to perform common surgical procedures, and the castration of stallions is no exception. In the 1990s, laparoscopic castration, which cuts off the testes’ blood supply but leaves them in place, was developed as an alternative to conventional castration methods that removes the testes from the body. The method soon became surgeons’ preferred castration method for cryptorchids (stallions with undescended testes). But is it as effective as other castration procedures for normal stallions?

Researchers from the National College of Veterinary Medicine, in France, set out to answer this question and found that, although the procedure reduces the risk of post-castration problems such as edema (fluid swelling) and infection and allows for a shorter recovery time, testosterone production and stallionlike behavior persist in some horses following surgery.

“The procedure may lead to remnants of active testicular tissue in 12% of cases, according our results,” reported Claire de Fourmestraux, DVM, resident veterinarian of surgery and orthopedics at the college’s veterinary hospital