Our Facilities

Theatre and recovery boxes

We have state of the art surgical facilities with the strictest standards of hygiene that you might expect to see only in a human hospital. The theatre was completely renovated in 2005. Following surgery, horses are taken by hoist to one of two padded recovery boxes where they are then supplemented with oxygen.

Click here to see a 360 degree picture of our surgery theatre

Anaesthesia

This site is currently under construction

Surgical Services Offered

Elective Orthopaedic procedures

Over 90 elective arthroscopy procedures are performed each year at Strömsholm, using videocamera control and a diversity of instrumentation including motorised burrs and synovial resecting equipment. We have a full digital documentation facility which not only means we have a permanent record of each case, but we are able to provide owners and referring vets with a copy of the images when the horse goes home.

The hospital carries a full range of AO/ASF instrumentation and we perform several fracture fixation procedures each year, from the simple to the more complex. We also carry out corrective surgical procedures for foals with angular limb or flexural deformities.

Infected joints and tendon sheaths

We see more than 150 infected joints and tendon sheaths each year, often caused by wire or kick injuries. If not treated promptly and aggressively, it can be very difficult to get these infections under control resulting in the death of the horse.

It is for this reason that we have decided as a hospital policy to manage all of these cases using endoscopic guidance.

This allows us to:

• Thoroughly evaluate the joint or tendon sheath, assess trauma, and remove foreign material
• Perform a very effective lavage
• Decrease the period of hospitalisation
• Get the horses back to exercise early with a good prognosis for returning to full function

Using this regime, we have shown a 90% survival rate (leaving the hospital) and we are monitoring these horsesto determine the percentage that are able to go back to full work.

Severe wounds

Wounds of the lower limb in horses have the potential of being career or life threatning. This is partly due to the fact that structures so important to limb function and weight bearing are very susceptible to traumatic injury. Fast recognition of the damage to these structures is essential if the horse is to return back to full work.

Cleaning the wound and removing dead tissue as thoroughly as possible are probably the two most most important procedures that can be done to allow the wound to heal as quickly as possible. We are fortunate at our hospital to have the Versajet wound debridement system which we have shown to make a dramatic difference.

We are also able to perform a wide range of reconstructive procedures including skin grafts and flaps. Our head of surgery, Dr. Dylan Gorvy is on the committee of the Veterinary Wound Healing Associaton and therefore keeps up to date with the most modern techniques and equipement.

Orthopaedic procedures

Abdominal surgery

We are one of the few hospitals in Sweden to run a truly 24 hour service 365 days a year. We see over 400 colic patients each year. Many respond successfully to intensive medical therapy, but approximatley 70 horses per year undergo emergency exploratory laparotomy. Modern surgical techniques are supported by a team of intensive care nursing staff working through each night. Over 80% of surgical cases will leave the hospital, a short term survival rate that is comparable to many of the leading facilities in Europe. Owners are just as interested however in the long term outlook of their horse, a question we will be trying to answer with the introduction of a colic survival database.

Laparoscopy is used in some cases as an aid in the diagnosis and treatment of recurrent/low grade colic and is also our preferred technique for performing cryptorchidectomy and ovariectomy (including granulosa cell tumours) procedures.

Urogenital surgery

We carry out a wide range of urinary and reproductive tract surgeries each year. These include:

• Cyptorchid castration, which we can perform using standing laparoscopy if the testis lies within the abdomen
• Ovariectomy, again performed using standing laparoscopy
• Repair of inguinal hernias
• Surgery of the penis and prepuce
• Perineal repair following foaling injuries
• Caesarian section

Minimally invasive techniques

Laparoscopy

The Equine Hospital is able to offer its clients and referring vets a full range of laparoscopic services. The hospital is fully equipped to undertake laparoscopic investigation of the horse’s abdomen (e.g. for recurrent or chronic colic) and to perform operative procedures via laparoscopy, e.g. ovariectomy and cryptorchidectomy.

These procedures offer several advantages over conventional, open surgery. Not least of these is a more rapid return to work after surgery. Reduced hospitalisation also makes the procedure more affordable.

 Medical indications

Laparoscopy is indicated in horses for a number of conditions (see below). The goal is to evaluate the abdomen and develop a diagnosis based on what is seen. Laparoscopy is particularly indicated in horses with chronic colic or weight loss to augment other diagnostic procedures. Biopsies of solid organs, especially the liver and kidney, can be done under direct visualisation, therefore improving diagnostic capabilities (view a PDF of normal laparoscopic anatomy)

1. Evaluate abnormal rectal findings
2. Investigate chronic/recurrent colic
3. Investigate weight loss
4. Evaulate abdominal tumours and metastatic disease
5. Examine and biopsy the liver, spleen, kidney
6. Evaluate peritonitis
7. Evaluate and treat abdominal abscesses
8. Evaluate rectal tears
9. Evaluate the reproductive tract
10. Diagnose and treat abdominal adhesions

Surgical indications

1. Ovariectomy: normal and abnormal ovaries (view a PDF of laparoscopic ovariectomy)
2. Retained testis (cryptochidectomy): unilateral or bilateral
3. Inguinal hernia in the foal or in the stallion
4. Removal of infected umbilical structures in foals

Laser surgery

Strömsholm has recently acquired a surgical diode laser and dedicated portable endoscope that enables us to carry out a range of procedures with increased precision and access. Combined with an endoscope we can treat many upper respiratory tract disorders including ethmoid haematomas and epiglottic entrapment. In addition, we are able to perform a ventriculocordectomy in the standing horse, without the need for a laryngotomy incision, which will mean a shorter hospitalisation and decreased cost to our clients. The entire system is portable; therefore if it is more convenient for you, rather than bringing the horse to Strömsholm we can come to you.

Skin tumours such as sarcoids and squamous cell carcinomas can be successfully ablated with the laser. The advantage of the laser over sharp dissection is that the heat produced will kill tumour cells at the base or margin of neoplasms, reducing the risk of recurrence. Apart from periocular squamous cell carcinomas, lasers have an additional application in ophthalmology. In horses with glaucoma we are able to ablate the ciliary body, thereby reducing the production of aqueous humor.

Our surgeons

• Anders Norén
• Dylan Gorvy
• Laura Hirvinen
• Gunnar Wallgren