Surgical management of reproductive disease in aquarium managed female elasmobranchs.
6 affiliations
- 1Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.
- 2Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA, United States.
- 3New England Aquarium, Boston, MA, United States.
- 4Biodôme de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 5SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States.
- 6Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, Animal Programs, Lake Buena Vista, FL, United States.
Abstract
Introduction
Reproductive disease in female elasmobranchs has been increasingly reported in the literature, though there are limited descriptions of therapeutic intervention.Methods
This retrospective case series details the surgical management of 20 female elasmobranchs representing nine species. Data for this study were collected from the medical records and necropsy reports of elasmobranchs at six separate zoos and aquaria.Results
All animals presented with ovarian or uterine abnormalities, including ovarian enlargement (either due to the presence of cysts and/or chronic follicle retention), yolk coelomitis, and excess uterine fluid. Medical management, primarily hormonal and antibiotic therapy, failed to resolve clinical signs in these cases, and the patients were unlikely to survive long-term. All animals underwent complete or partial unilateral ovariectomy (22 procedures total). Surgical approach, anesthetic protocols, and intraoperative treatments varied by species and institution. Post-operative complications were common, particularly hyporexia, dehiscence, and persistent bacterial coelomitis (when already present prior to surgery). Two Chilean round rays (Urotrygon chilensis) required a second ovariectomy after a functional contralateral ovary developed post-unilateral ovariectomy. In this group, 32% of the patients experienced post-operative mortality directly due to surgical or post-surgical complications; 18% died post-operatively due to pre-existing conditions or systemic compromise. However, this was improved with balanced anesthetic protocols and more aggressive peri-procedural supportive care based on the authors' experience.Discussion
In successful procedures, ovariectomy led to the resolution of clinical signs, demonstrating that ovariectomy is a viable therapeutic option for reproductive disease in elasmobranchs, though early intervention, post-operative monitoring, and supportive care are recommended.
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BibTeX
@article{yuschenkoff2026surgical,
title = {{Surgical management of reproductive disease in aquarium managed female elasmobranchs.}},
author = {Daniela Yuschenkoff and Lance Adams and Melissa Joblon and Kathryn Tuxbury and Charles Innis and Benjamin Balducchi and Michael McEntire and Natalie D MyIniczenko},
journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1958413},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899180},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Surgical management of reproductive disease in aquarium managed female elasmobranchs.
AU - Daniela Yuschenkoff
AU - Lance Adams
AU - Melissa Joblon
AU - Kathryn Tuxbury
AU - Charles Innis
AU - Benjamin Balducchi
AU - Michael McEntire
AU - Natalie D MyIniczenko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Frontiers in veterinary science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1958413
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899180
AB - Introduction Reproductive disease in female elasmobranchs has been increasingly reported in the literature, though there are limited descriptions of therapeutic intervention.Methods This retrospective case series details the surgical management of 20 female elasmobranchs representing nine species. Data for this study were collected from the medical records and necropsy reports of elasmobranchs at six separate zoos and aquaria.Results All animals presented with ovarian or uterine abnormalities, including ovarian enlargement (either due to the presence of cysts and/or chronic follicle retention), yolk coelomitis, and excess uterine fluid. Medical management, primarily hormonal and antibiotic therapy, failed to resolve clinical signs in these cases, and the patients were unlikely to survive long-term. All animals underwent complete or partial unilateral ovariectomy (22 procedures total). Surgical approach, anesthetic protocols, and intraoperative treatments varied by species and institution. Post-operative complications were common, particularly hyporexia, dehiscence, and persistent bacterial coelomitis (when already present prior to surgery). Two Chilean round rays (Urotrygon chilensis) required a second ovariectomy after a functional contralateral ovary developed post-unilateral ovariectomy. In this group, 32% of the patients experienced post-operative mortality directly due to surgical or post-surgical complications; 18% died post-operatively due to pre-existing conditions or systemic compromise. However, this was improved with balanced anesthetic protocols and more aggressive peri-procedural supportive care based on the authors' experience.Discussion In successful procedures, ovariectomy led to the resolution of clinical signs, demonstrating that ovariectomy is a viable therapeutic option for reproductive disease in elasmobranchs, though early intervention, post-operative monitoring, and supportive care are recommended.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -