000151272 001__ 151272 000151272 005__ 20251017144606.0 000151272 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.3390/ani15030402 000151272 0248_ $$2sideral$$a143055 000151272 037__ $$aART-2025-143055 000151272 041__ $$aeng 000151272 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-1286-4968$$aVitoria, Arantza$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 245__ $$aLaparoscopic Inguinal Hernioplasty with a Polyether Ether Ketone Anchoring Device in Intact Male Horses Does Not Compromise Testicular Perfusion, Sperm Production or Motility Characteristics 000151272 260__ $$c2025 000151272 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000151272 5203_ $$aA new surgical technique using a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) anchoring device for testicle-sparing laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty in stallions was described in 2023 and is known as the PEEK harpoon technique (PHT). In breeding stallions, it is essential that the surgery is effective in preventing inguinal hernia but also that it does not impair the testicular function. This study aims to evaluate whether the PHT may affect testicular function. To achieve that, changes in the testicular blood flow, sperm production and motility characteristics were assessed 28 days after use of the PHT. Standing laparoscopic hernioplasty using the PHT was performed unilaterally in eight healthy (non-previously herniated) experimental intact males. The contralateral inguinal canals and testicles were used as control. Pre- and post-surgery Doppler ultrasonographic evaluations of testicular perfusion were performed serially. Bilateral castration was performed at 28 days post-surgery, and epididymal sperm were obtained from both testicles to analyze seminal characteristics. No significant differences were identified in regard to testicular perfusion and the sperm characteristics of the control and operated testicles, suggesting that the PHT-based hernioplasty would not compromise testicular function. Further studies evaluating effects over a longer period are needed, but our data indicate that the PHT is suitable for testicle-sparing inguinal laparoscopic hernioplasties in breeding stallions with a history or predisposing factors of inguinal herniation. 000151272 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000151272 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000151272 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-9818-508X$$aBarrachina, Laura$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-7188-0461$$aRomero, Antonio$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 700__ $$aFuente, Sara$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-1204-4356$$ade Blas, Ignacio$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-0797-1841$$aGil, Lydia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-8712-2275$$aVázquez, Francisco José$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151272 7102_ $$11001$$2420$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Anatom.,Embri.Genét.Ani.$$cÁrea Genética 000151272 7102_ $$11009$$2773$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Patología Animal$$cÁrea Sanidad Animal 000151272 7102_ $$11009$$2617$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Patología Animal$$cÁrea Medicina y Cirugía Animal 000151272 773__ $$g15, 3 (2025), 402 [9 pp.]$$pAnimals (Basel)$$tAnimals$$x2076-2615 000151272 8564_ $$s227015$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151272/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000151272 8564_ $$s2792683$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151272/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000151272 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:151272$$particulos$$pdriver 000151272 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:15:20 000151272 980__ $$aARTICLE