Veterinary Surgery Podcast

This podcast episode featured Dr. Jolle interviewing Dr. Jody Lulich about their recent study published in JAVMA titled "Lorazepam Reduces Recurrence of Urethral Obstruction in Male Cats." Dr. Lulich, who is head of the Minnesota Urolith Center that analyzes approximately 100,000 stone submissions annually, discussed their groundbreaking prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study involving 80 cats. The study found that cats treated with lorazepam (a skeletal muscle relaxant) and a therapeutic urinary diet had zero re-obstructions compared to 14-15% recurrence rate in the placebo group, demonstrating the effectiveness of a multimodal approach including diet modification, pain medication, and environmental enrichment. Dr. Lulich explained that surgical removal of urinary stones actually leaves stones in about 20% of cases, making medical dissolution a more compassionate and effective treatment option. The discussion also covered the historical shift away from surgical intervention for struvite stones, the limitations of previous smooth muscle relaxant drugs like prazosin, and the significant cultural challenge of changing veterinary practices despite clear evidence supporting non-surgical approaches.

Article: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/264/9/javma.26.01.0045.xml


The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

This Week's Episode: A Look Back — 1995 and the Skin Fold Advancement Flap

This week we travel back three decades to revisit a foundational paper in small animal reconstructive surgery: Geraldine Hunt's 1995 description of the skin fold advancement flap for closing large sternal and inguinal wounds in dogs and cats. Before this technique was described, surgeons facing large ventral defects in these regions had limited options beyond skin grafts or leaving wounds to heal by second intention — both often impractical in mobile, high-tension areas like the groin and chest.

Hunt's insight was elegant: the flank fold (near the inguinal region) and the elbow fold (near the sternum) are natural double-layered skin folds with a robust subdermal blood supply, fed by the deep circumflex iliac artery and lateral thoracic artery respectively. By dividing the fold's attachments to the limb, "unfolding" it into a single U-shaped flap, and advancing it into the defect, surgeons could achieve reliable, tension-free coverage using local tissue — with a donor site simple enough to close primarily. Nearly 30 years later, this technique remains a workhorse in general and specialty practice, and it laid the groundwork for later refinements, including Hunt's own 2001 follow-up extending the approach to proximal limb and trunk defects more broadly.

Reference:
Hunt GB. Skin fold advancement flaps for closing large sternal and inguinal wounds in cats and dogs. Veterinary Surgery. 1995;24(2):172–175. Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1532950x

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

Dr Jolle is back with a short episode because he will be in NYC this week. He is discussing Chapter 10 of his new reconstruction book, focusing on complications in reconstructive surgery. He also looks at some news about veterinary surgery in the various general journals.  More info about his book: https://www.routledge.com/Colour-Atlas-of-Reconstructive-Techniques-in-the-Dog-and-Cat/Kirpensteijn-Stanley-terHaar/p/book/9780367029999

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

This episode of the Vet Surgery Podcast hosted by Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn is featuring Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell (Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology, University of Florida) and Dr. Federico Vilaplana Grosso (Associate Professor in Diagnostic Imaging, University of Florida), who co-authored a recent JAVMA article.
Topic: Differentiating 360° GDV from Simple Gastric Dilatation The discussion centered on the caudal esophageal "twist sign" — a funnel-shaped appearance in the lower esophagus that helps identify 360-degree gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), which is notoriously difficult to distinguish from regular gastric dilatation on radiographs.
Key findings from the study: The research compared 29 dogs with 360° GDV to 38 dogs with simple gastric dilatation. The twist sign was present in all dogs with esophageal dilation, except when the esophagus had been decompressed by tube placement. Unlike typical 180° GDV cases (which show classic signs like abnormal pylorus positioning), 360° twists return the stomach to its normal anatomic position, making radiographic diagnosis much harder. 
Clinical perspectives: Dr. Maxwell noted that unsuccessful oral gastric tubing and endoscopy attempts were more common in 360° cases. Dr Vilaplana Grosso shared that the funnel sign was not part of his standard diagnostic approach before collaborating with Dr. Maxwell. The group discussed differing institutional practices on whether to image first or decompress first in emergency GDV situations. 

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

In this episode of the Veterinary Surgery Podcast, Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn sits down with repeat guest Dr. Sarah Boston, a veterinary cancer surgeon, for a wide-ranging conversation. They start with recent literature on staphylectomy techniques before turning to the contentious topic of continued French Bulldog breeding given the breed's well-documented health complications. Dr. Boston walks through her path into veterinary medicine, from deciding on the career at age six to finally landing a surgical residency on her third attempt. The discussion then moves into her own research contributions: a new diaphragmatic hernia repair technique she calls the "BostonPexy," which uses a kidney plug method, and a combined-approach mandibulectomy technique developed for large dogs. The episode closes with Dr. Boston naming the veterinary surgery papers that shaped her thinking most, citing Duncan Lascelles' work on maxillectomy approaches and Charles Koontz's research on vaccine-associated sarcomas.

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

We are not done talking soft palate issues! As a follow up from last week I am discussing the folded flap versus traditional staphylectomy technique for treating brachycephalic airway syndrome in dogs with Dr. Bryden Stanley. Bryden shared her experience using folded flaps when palate thickness exceeds 1.2-1.5 centimeters on CT scans, particularly for patients who haven't responded to traditional staphylectomy. She emphasized the technique requires a robust suture pattern using interrupted 2.0 and 3.0 monocryl sutures and noted the learning curve involved. Jolle mentioned recent studies showing no significant difference between the two techniques, but Bryden argued the literature remains controversial and individual patient factors are crucial in determining the best approach. They discussed how variations in technique and patient selection could explain conflicting results in the current research.

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

In this episode of the Veterinary Surgery Podcast, Dr. Jolle Kirpenstein interviewed Dr. Ameet Singh about a recently published article in JAVMA comparing folded flap palatoplasty (FPP) and traditional staphylectomy for soft palate surgery in French Bulldogs with BOAS. Dr. Singh summarized the study’s main finding that both techniques resulted in similar positive clinical outcomes, with the key being to perform either technique aggressively. They discussed the study’s methods, including CT measurements and exercise tolerance testing, and acknowledged limitations such as small sample size and challenges with follow-up. Dr. Singh described the surgical techniques, potential complications, and the importance of addressing multiple components of BOAS during surgery. They also touched on the popularity of brachycephalic breeds, personal experiences, and the value of the study for clinical practice. 

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

This lecture, delivered by DrJolle, reviews a JAVMA article from April 2026 titled "Ureteroneocystostomy as a Treatment for Benign Ureteral Obstruction and Ectopic Ureter in Cats: Thirty-Seven Cases." The retrospective study of 37 cases from the Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania evaluates outcomes and complications of ureteroneocystostomy. Findings indicate this surgery is a viable treatment for benign ureteral obstructions and extramural ectopic ureters in cats, with a long median survival time (1980 days) and a relatively low complication rate compared to alternatives such as subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) devices or stents. Preoperative azotemia (elevated BUN, creatinine, and phosphorus) was a significant risk factor for increased 30-day mortality. Ureteral stents, when used, were commonly associated with long-term complications necessitating removal.

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

I was lucky enough to attend the AVMA Convention 2026 in Anaheim, California, a city known for a few things, and yes, Disney is one of them (though I'll admit I never made it past the parking lot). One of the things I got to do there was host a full day dedicated to podcasts: Veterinary Podcast Day, the first of its kind. It was a joy to bring together so many voices in our profession who are using this format to teach, connect, and just talk shop in a more human way. The Veterinary Surgery Podcast was one of the shows highlighted that day, and I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Ken Gorczyca for a conversation about end of life care, a topic that doesn't get nearly enough airtime in veterinary surgery circles, but touches every single one of us in practice. It was honest, a little heavy, and ultimately a conversation I think a lot of people needed to hear. You can find the video episode here: https://vimeo.com/1209703458/ff9d619656

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.

This episode of the Veterinary Surgery podcast focuses on liver tumors in dogs. Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn discusses a recently published article examining canine hepatic neoplasia, covering diagnostic approach, surgical decision-making, and outcomes data. Topics include distinguishing primary hepatic tumors from metastatic disease. A practical, evidence-based look at a challenging area of veterinary surgical oncology.

The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.