Segmental Posthetomy in a Four Stallions Case Series.
Authors: Palozzo Adriana, Celani Gianluca, Guerri Giulia, Straticò Paola, Varasano Vincenzo, Petrizzi Lucio
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Segmental Posthetomy in Four Stallions Segmental posthetomy—surgical removal of a circumferential segment of the internal preputial fold with primary closure—offers a viable approach for managing diverse prepucial and penile pathology whilst preserving the telescopic function critical for normal breeding. This Italian case series documents four stallions treated surgically: one with complete penile degloving (the first reported in equine literature), one with preputial scarring, one with preputial sarcoid, and one with acute penile/preputial trauma. All four animals retained functional telescopic retraction of the prepuce post-operatively, suggesting that careful surgical technique permits removal of significant preputial tissue without compromising copulatory ability, though the precise safe minimums for resection remain undefined. The authors emphasise that whilst their outcomes were successful, individual case assessment is essential—particularly when performing concurrent Adam's procedure—to avoid inadvertent impairment of stallion fertility and breeding soundness. Clinicians managing prepucial disease should view segmental posthetomy as a tissue-sparing alternative to more radical approaches, though standardised guidelines on acceptable resection volumes would strengthen decision-making in future cases.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Segmental posthetomy is a viable surgical option for treating various preputial pathologies in stallions while preserving reproductive function
- •Careful case-by-case evaluation is essential before performing preputial resection to avoid compromising the telescopic function required for normal breeding
- •This technique can address both degloving injuries and chronic preputial conditions with successful functional outcomes in this small series
Key Findings
- •Segmental posthetomy successfully treated four different equine preputial and penile conditions in stallions
- •All four stallions maintained normal telescopic function of the internal/external preputial fold after surgical resection
- •First documented case of complete degloving injury of the equine penis treated with segmental posthetomy
- •Safe minimum amount of prepuce that can be removed without disrupting telescopic function and copulatory ability remains undefined