|
Dr. Jennifer Bonczynski, a staff surgeon with Animal Specialty Center, is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Her primary areas of interest include minimally invasive surgery and surgical oncology. Dr. Bonczynski received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University in 1996, and subsequently spent two years in private general practice in Howard Beach, NY. In 2002, Dr. Bonczynski completed her residency training in veterinary surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. She also completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in 1999. During her time at The Animal Medical Center,she received several awards including outstanding intern of the year, the resident clinical research award and outstanding veterinarian of the year. Prior to joining Animal Specialty Center, Dr. Bonczynski headed a busy soft tissue surgery service at The Animal Medical Center for five years. During this time she was very active in the resident and intern training program also played an important role in developing the use of minimally invasive surgery at that facility. Many procedures that are painful and require a long recovery time can now done using minimally invasive surgical techniques. Dr. Bonczynski has also completed additional training in microvascular surgery. She has published articles pertaining to veterinary surgery in various journals and has presented at numerous veterinary conferences. Dr. Bonczynski is associated with several professional organizations, including the American College of Veterinary Surgery, the New York City and New York State Veterinary Medical Associations and the American Veterinary Medical Association. CLEFT LIP (HARELIP) REPAIR & LAPAROSCOPIC-ASSISTED GASTROPEXY Clefts are inherited congenital diseases that occur in the oral cavity in dogs and cats, being very similar to those seen in humans. Cleft lips (harelip) are classified into primary cleft palate disorders. They are seen at birth and appear as an abnormal fissure from the nose to lip. Affected animals should be examined for coexisting clefts of secondary palate (including the soft and hard palates), as well as other possible inherited disorders. Cleft lips can cause difficulty or inability to nurse, resulting in poor nutrition, potential aspiration pneumonia and early postnatal death. Surgery to repair congenital malformations of the lip is usually delayed until the affected animal is 6 to 8 weeks of age, when the tissues have matured and the working area of the oral cavity is larger. Tube feeding can be utilized until surgery can be performed. Repair is performed with advancement of the nasal and palatal mucosa and skin layers. Proper rotation and advancement flapping of the tissues help create a satisfactory cosmetic closure. Post-operative care is important to reduce the risks of incisional dehiscence and surgical failure. After two weeks, patients are usually able to return to normal activity.  | | close up picture of Disney before the surgery |
 | | immediate and very close up picture of Disney just a few minutes after her cleft lip repair |
 | | Disney 3 weeks after surgery |
Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, "bloat") is an acute condition in which the stomach rotates, causing gas and pressure accumulation, shock and subsequent death. Although a direct cause of GDV is unknown, a number of risk factors have been established including predisposition in large-breed dogs, stress, once-daily feeding, decreased food particle size, aggressive or fearful temperament, and increasing age. With medical treatment alone for GDV, dogs can have recurrence and mortality rates as high as 76% and 80%, respectively. Surgical treatment involves proper medical stabilization and gastropexy. Gastropexy involves creating a permanent surgical adhesion of the stomach to the body wall. Recurrence rates of GDV for dogs that have had a gastropexy performed are reduced to 4.5%. Unfortunately, given the effects of this life-threatening disease mortality rates still remain as high as 33%. Prophylactic gastropexy involves a pre-emptive gastropexy procedure performed in at-risk large breeds of dogs which can prevent gastric torsion that accompanies gastric dilatation. A number of open techniques for gastropexy have been described in veterinary literature. The procedure produces a permanent adhesion, does not alter stomach function, and produces minimal complications. Minimally-invasive surgery is becoming more widely performed and available in veterinary medicine. One of the most widely used less-invasive techniques for gastropexy is a laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy. Using endoscopic camera guidance, two to three small incisions (usually <2-4cm) are made on the abdomen to allow the stomach to be identified, grasped, properly positioned, and secured (similar to an open technique) to the body wall. The adhesion created and subsequent reduced risks of this minimally invasive procedures for companion animals. References
1. Beck, J et al. Risk factors associated with short-term outcome and development of perioperative complications in dogs undergoing surgery because of GDV: 166 cases (1992-2003). JAVMA, 2006.
2. Freeman, L. Gastrointestinal laparoscopy in small animals. Vet Clin Small Animal, 2009.
3. Rawlings, C et al. Prospective evaluation of laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy in dogs
susceptible to gastric dilatation. JAVMA,2002. | 
