Soft tissue surgery 2 – Advanced Soft Tissue Surgery
Course Introduction
Take your soft tissue surgery to the next level.
STT 2 – Advanced Soft Tissue Surgery is an intensive, hands-on OKEAN programme designed for veterinarians who are ready to move beyond routine soft tissue procedures and develop greater confidence with complex urinary, abdominal and reconstructive surgery in dogs and cats.
Across two highly practical days, participants will work through a carefully selected range of advanced procedures — from urinary tract and bladder surgery to major abdominal procedures, GDV surgery, biliary surgery, diaphragmatic hernia repair, advanced colorectal surgery and challenging perineal hernia reconstruction.
The course focuses on the principles that make advanced surgery successful: case selection, surgical planning, anatomical approach, tissue handling, operative technique, complication avoidance and postoperative decision-making.
Rather than simply demonstrating individual procedures, STT 2 is designed to develop the surgeon’s ability to approach challenging cases systematically and perform technically demanding procedures with greater confidence and precision.
Jackie Demetriou, BVetMed, CertSAS, DipECVS, FRCVS
Jackie Demetriou is an EBVS and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery and a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. She qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1996 and went on to complete an internship and residency in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Edinburgh. Over the past 20 years, she has worked in both academia and specialist referral practice, including nine years as a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and her current part-time Chair in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery at the University of Nottingham. She also spent 12 years in private referral practice, where she led a large soft tissue surgery team and ECVS residency programme. Jackie has extensive experience teaching surgery to veterinary surgeons, interns and residents in the UK and internationally, and particularly enjoys helping practitioners develop the confidence to manage challenging surgical cases. She has served on the ECVS Examination Committee and Board of Regents and is the author of two textbooks, several book chapters and more than 30 peer-reviewed publications.
Day 1 – Advanced Urinary Surgery
The first day focuses on advanced surgery of the urinary and reproductive tract, including:
- Cystotomy
- Bladder wall resection / partial cystectomy
- Nephrectomy
- Scrotal urethrostomy in dogs
- Perineal urethrostomy in cats
- Colposuspension
Participants will explore the indications, surgical approaches and key technical considerations for each procedure, with particular emphasis on anatomy, tissue handling and avoiding common complications.
Day 2 – Advanced Abdominal & Reconstructive Surgery
The second day concentrates on challenging abdominal and reconstructive procedures:
- Gastrectomy
- GDV surgery and gastropexy
- Cholecystectomy
- Diaphragmatic hernia repair
- Colectomy for megacolon and selected colonic tumours
- Perineal hernia repair using the internal obturator muscle flap
- Perineal hernia repair using the semitendinosus muscle flap
These procedures represent some of the more demanding soft tissue surgical cases encountered in small animal practice and provide participants with practical experience in advanced surgical decision-making and technique.
Course Objectives
By the end of STT 2, participants will be able to:
- Approach complex urinary and abdominal surgical cases in a structured and systematic manner.
- Understand the indications, limitations and appropriate case selection for advanced soft tissue procedures.
- Plan and perform advanced urinary tract surgery, including bladder surgery, nephrectomy and urethrostomy procedures.
- Apply appropriate techniques for partial cystectomy and bladder wall reconstruction.
- Understand the surgical principles of GDV management and perform appropriate gastropexy techniques.
- Perform key advanced gastrointestinal procedures, including gastrectomy and colectomy.
- Apply safe surgical techniques for cholecystectomy and recognise important anatomical and technical considerations of biliary surgery.
- Understand and perform appropriate approaches to diaphragmatic hernia repair.
- Select and perform appropriate reconstructive techniques for perineal hernia, including internal obturator and semitendinosus muscle flaps.
- Develop greater confidence in handling challenging anatomical regions and technically demanding procedures.
- Anticipate and minimise common intraoperative and postoperative complications.
- Apply sound principles of tissue handling, haemostasis, surgical exposure and closure throughout advanced soft tissue procedures.
- Transfer the practical techniques and decision-making skills gained during the course directly into clinical practice.
Who Is This Course For?
STT 2 is intended for veterinarians with previous experience in small animal soft tissue surgery who want to expand their surgical repertoire and become more confident in managing advanced cases.
It is particularly suited to clinicians who already perform routine abdominal and soft tissue procedures and are ready to progress to more complex and technically demanding surgery.
The OKEAN Approach
Advanced cases. Practical techniques. Greater surgical confidence.
STT 2 combines focused surgical teaching with intensive practical training, giving participants the opportunity to understand not only how to perform an advanced procedure, but also when, why and how to approach it safely.