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Minimally Invasive Veterinary Medicine

by Chris Miller, DVM

MIM (Minimally Invasive Medicine) is a relatively new discipline in Veterinary care that includes minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and minimally invasive diagnostics (MID). Both MID and MIS make use of a variety of new technologies such as ultrasound, which uses sound waves to image internal structures of the body, and endoscopy, the use of rigid and flexible telescopes inserted into natural openings in the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. These new technologies result in a faster, more accurate diagnosis, less stress and less discomfort for patients. MIM is not "alternative medicine". It is not similar to homeopathy, acupressure, naturopathy, etc.

The goal of minimally invasive medicine is to reduce the tissue trauma and body's response to the injury of traditional medicine and surgery. Traditional surgery requires long incisions and the stretching of incisions with retractors. Minimally invasive surgery uses several very small incisions or makes use of natural body openings, thus reducing the surgical insult. The result is decreased recovery time, smaller or no incision, decreased discomfort, decreased hospital time, decreased stress to patient, decreased procedure time, decreased incidence of post-procedure complications and decreased costs for treatment. The end result is happier pets and happier pet owners.

One example of the advantages of MIM is the common problem of swallowed foreign objects in dogs and cats. Traditional technique requires surgery to open the stomach and remove the object. With MIM technique, the object is removed with an endoscope passed through the mouth and into the stomach to locate and remove the object. Instead of surgery and several days spent in the hospital recovering, this patient is home the same day, ready to eat and play, completely recovered without pain and without the risks of infection and bleeding from surgery.

PetSounds is a veterinary practice dedicated to the use of non-invasive and minimally invasive medicine wherever beneficial for the patient.