Diode laser surgery in a 2-year- old doe with progesterone receptor free vaginal varicose veins

Genital vascular abnormalities described in rabbits are a rare condi-tion and almost exclusively endometrial veinous aneurysms. They are incidental findings unless they are ruptured leading to a life-threatening vaginal bleeding. A 2-year-old female intact Bleu de Ham rabbit was presented with a 2 cm soft purple mass protruding from the vulva and a vaginitis. Under general anaestesia (dexmedetomidine, ketamine, mi-dazolam intramuscularly, propofol, fentanyl intravenously and isoflu-rane gas via an endotracheal tube), this mass and a second one present cranially in the vagina were resected through a ventral episiotomy. A partial thickness incision was made around their pedicles with a surgi-cal diode laser. The doe received meloxicam, buprenorphine, tramadol, metoclopramide, aluminium phosphate post surgery. Trimetoprim sul-famide was added because of purulent rhinitis. Six months after mass removal, the doe was ovariohysterectomized, and no sign of recurrence was observed. The animal was euthanized 6 months later because of gastric stasis, and recurrences were present in the vagina. At histologi-cal examination, both the primary and the recurring lesions were di-agnosed as voluminous varicose veins, and the only uterine anomaly that was found was cystic endometrial hyperplasia. Immunochemistry failed to identify progesterone receptors on the vaginal lesions. Recurrence after ovariohysterectomy and the absence of progesterone receptors in this case suggest that sex hormones are not involved in the etiopathogenesis of vaginal varicose veins in rabbits while they are strongly suspected in vulvar varicose veins in pregnant women. This is the first detailed report of a vaginal localization of varicose veins in a female rabbit and their surgical removal with the aid of a diode laser.