T‐shape versus circular shape: a retrospective evaluation of intraoperative and postoperative complications in a cohort of 142 dogs undergoing TECA‐LBO for end‐stage otitis

To report the impact of the surgical approach (T-shaped or circular incision) on intraoperative and postoperative complications associated with total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy. Medical records of dogs that underwent total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy with T-shaped or circular incisions between 10 referral hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Intraoperative and postoperative complications and follow-up were analysed and compared between groups using Fisher's exact test for categorical data and the Mann-Whitney rank-sum test for numerical data, with P < 0.05 considered significant. One hundred and forty-two dogs were included, totalling 156 surgeries: 84 were performed via circular incision (O-group) and 72 with a T-shaped incision (T-group). The groups were similar for sex (P = 0.182) and body weight (P = 0.836) distribution; the T-group was older at the time of surgery (P = 0.019). Intraoperative bleeding occurred in 13/156 (8%) dogs and significantly more frequently in the O-group (P = 0.03; 11 O-group 7%, two T-group 1%). Postoperative complication rate was 38.6% (n = 60): wound complications occurred in 31/156 (20%) dogs, more frequently in the T-group (P ≤ 0.001; eight O-group 5%, 23 T-group 15%); postoperative facial nerve neuropathy occurred in 31/156 (20%) dogs, and weakly associated with the O-group (P = 0.045; 22 O-group 14.1%, nine T-group 5.8%). Surgical preference may guide the choice between performing T-shaped or circular incisions during total ear canal ablation with lateral bulla osteotomy. Circular incisions were associated with a higher incidence of intraoperative haemorrhage and postoperative facial nerve neuropathy, while T-shaped incisions may increase the risk of wound complications. Most complications in both groups were minor or self-limiting.