Bovine rumenotomy: comparison of four surgical techniques.

Rumenotomy in cattle is a routine procedure for treatment and diagnostic purposes. A comparative study of different rumenotomy techniques is lacking in the veterinary literature. Four rumenotomy techniques were compared in 20 cattle: skin suture fixation, Weingarth's ring, stay suture, and skin clamp fixation. Results indicated that skin suture fixation was superior to Weingarth's ring and the stay suture techniques. Skin clamp fixation was comparable with skin suturing and required a shorter operative time. Rumenotomy using the stay suture technique was followed by postoperative inflammatory complications, as indicated by significant (P < 0.05) increases in mean body temperature and total white blood cell counts of 39.3, s = 0.56 degrees C and 12.6 x 10(9), s = 1.57 x 10(9)/L, respectively, on day 4. Therefore, rumenotomy using the skin clamp fixation technique could be considered as an alternative to the more commonly used skin suture fixation technique.