Evaluation of a Modified Surgical Technique to Correct Urine Pooling in Cows

Abstract

Urovagina of cows and horses often results in infertility by inducing necrotizing endometritis. This condition is seen most commonly in old, pluriparous cows and mares with poor vaginal and vestibular conformation. Adverse changes result from numerous pregnancies or from dysfunction of the constrictor vestibuli muscle caused by damage to this muscle during parturition. Cranioventral tipping of the pelvis, the result of numerous pregnancies, or damage to the constrictor vestibuli muscle causes the cranial portion of the vagina to be positioned ventral to the external urethral orifice, leading to collection of urine in the vaginal fornix. Various surgical techniques have been used to create a mucosal extension from the urethral orifice to the labia to correct urovagina in cows, but a fistula often forms in the extension, causing the surgical remedy to fail. The objective of the trial reported here was to determine if the incidence of fistula formation could be decreased by covering submucosal tissue on the floor of the vestibule, exposed by transposing mucosal flaps to create the extension, with a mucosal graft.