(NU32) Episioplasty Reduces the Incidence of Urinary Tract Infections and Perivulvar Pyoderma in Dogs

Background – Episioplasty is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin surrounding a recessed vulva. Episioplasty is a recommended treatment for patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) or perivulvar pyoderma attributed to vulvar recession. Large studies examining the efficacy of episioplasty are unavailable. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of episioplasty on the incidence of UTIs and perivulvar pyoderma.
Hypothesis/Objectives – We hypothesized that episioplasty would lead to a significant reduction in the frequency of perivulvar pyoderma and UTIs after surgical correction.
Animals – 190 client-owned female dogs with a recessed vulva who underwent episioplasty surgery.
Methods – Multicenter retrospective study of dogs undergoing episioplasty surgery. Frequency of UTIs and presence of perivulvar pyoderma were recorded within 6 and 12 months pre- and post-surgery. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranked test was used to compare the number of UTIs pre- and post-surgery. Fischer’s exact test was used to compare the frequency of perivulvar pyoderma pre- and post-surgery.
Results –The median number of UTIs occurring 6 months and 12 months prior to episioplasty was significantly decreased from 1.5 and 2 episodes, respectively, to 0 and 0 after episioplasty.
Conclusions and clinical importance – Episioplasty was associated with a reduction in the frequency of UTIs and occurrence of perivulvar pyoderma in patients with a recessed vulva. This surgery may be an effective treatment when a recessed vulva causes these complications.