Review maps extra-abdominal omentum use in dogs and cats
Bottom line
A new review in Animals pulls together the veterinary literature on using the greater omentum outside the abdomen in dogs and cats, an area that remains clinically promising but only loosely standardized. The authors describe the omentum as a biologically active, highly vascular tissue with drainage, immunomodulatory, angiogenic, and regenerative properties, then map how it has been used in extra-abdominal settings including head and neck reconstruction, thoracic procedures, nonhealing wounds, sublumbar abscesses, and selected orthopedic or neurologic applications. The paper is a narrative review, not a new clinical trial, and its main contribution is to organize scattered case reports, case series, cadaver studies, and experimental work into a more usable surgical overview. (mdpi.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the review is a reminder that omentalization can be a useful adjunct when local tissue is poorly vascularized, contaminated, chronically inflamed, or slow to heal, but the evidence base is still thin and heavily weighted toward small case series and technical studies. Prior reports cited in and around this literature include successful long-term outcomes in 10 dogs treated with drainage and omentalization for sublumbar abscessation, feasibility work showing the omentum can be lengthened to reach the feline head, and recent cadaver data suggesting lateral laparotomy may support extra-abdominal flap preparation in dogs and cats. That makes this less of a practice-changing paper than a consolidation of where the field stands, and where stronger prospective data are still needed. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What to watch: Watch for prospective outcome studies that compare extra-abdominal omentalization with other reconstructive options, especially in wound management, thoracic surgery, and infection-associated cases. (mdpi.com)
Key facts
- Article type
- Narrative review
- Journal
- Animals
- Species
- Dogs and cats
- Topic
- Extra-abdominal use of the greater omentum
- Omentum properties
- Highly vascular, with drainage, immunomodulatory, angiogenic, and regenerative properties
- Reported uses
- Head and neck reconstruction, thoracic procedures, nonhealing wounds, sublumbar abscesses, and selected orthopedic or neurologic applications
- Evidence base
- Case reports, case series, cadaver studies, and experimental work
- Clinical takeaway
- Promising but loosely standardized, with thin evidence
A newly published review in Animals examines one of small-animal surgery’s more adaptable but less standardized tools: the greater omentum used outside the abdomen. The paper synthesizes the veterinary literature on extra-abdominal omentalization in dogs and cats, focusing on where the technique has been tried, how surgeons have extended or transposed the tissue, and what the available reports suggest about clinical value. (mdpi.com)
That matters because the omentum already has an established reputation in abdominal surgery as a vascular, lymphatic, and immunologically active tissue that can support drainage and healing. What has been less clear is how well those same properties translate to extra-abdominal problems, where surgeons may be dealing with chronic wounds, dead space, infection, compromised blood supply, or difficult-to-reconstruct regions such as the thorax, head, neck, or sublumbar space. The review argues that interest has outpaced standardization, with the evidence scattered across case reports, retrospective series, cadaver studies, and experimental models. (mdpi.com)
The paper’s core contribution is organizational. It brings together reported applications in reconstructive surgery, thoracic and mediastinal procedures, management of chronic nonhealing wounds, treatment of sublumbar abscesses, and selected neurologic or orthopedic contexts. The authors also emphasize technique, including pedicle preservation and flap-lengthening strategies needed to reach extra-abdominal targets safely. That technical focus aligns with older and newer supporting studies: a 2012 feline cadaver study found that dorsal extension and inverted L-shaped elongation were needed to transpose omentum to the head, while a 2026 cadaver study reported that lateral-approach laparotomy allowed reliable access to the greater omentum and successful dorsal extension in all specimens studied. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The broader literature the review builds on is encouraging, but limited. In one often-cited retrospective series, 10 dogs with sublumbar abscessation treated with exploration, drainage, debridement, and omentalization had long-term resolution of clinical signs in all cases, although one dog sustained an intraoperative aortic rupture during abscess exploration. In feline wound management, earlier reports described omental pedicle grafts as a useful adjunct for chronic nonhealing wounds, including axillary wounds, but also documented complications such as herniation, serous drainage, and abscessation. Those reports support biologic plausibility and technical feasibility, but they also underscore how dependent outcomes may be on case selection, anatomy, and surgeon experience. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Industry reaction appears to be measured rather than exuberant. Coverage of the review has framed it as a practical synthesis of an interesting but still under-standardized area of surgery, rather than a breakthrough that should immediately change protocols. That tone fits the primary literature. Even in related thoracic applications, such as omentalization used alongside thoracic duct ligation for chylothorax, published authors have called for controlled prospective study rather than assuming benefit. (theherd.news)
Why it matters: For veterinarians and referral surgeons, this review is useful less as a directive and more as a decision-support resource. It suggests that extra-abdominal omentalization may be worth considering when a case needs vascularized biologic coverage, dead-space management, lymphatic drainage, or support for healing in contaminated or poorly perfused tissue beds. At the same time, the literature remains too heterogeneous to define best practice across indications. Many reports involve small numbers, lack comparators, or are cadaveric rather than clinical, so the technique is still best viewed as an adjunctive option for selected cases, not a standardized default. (mdpi.com)
There’s also a practical training implication. As more surgeons explore extra-abdominal uses of the omentum, technical planning may become just as important as biologic rationale. Studies revising or refining pedicle flap preparation in dogs, and newer work on lateral access in both species, suggest that reach, vascular preservation, and positioning logistics are central to whether the technique is even feasible in a given case. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What to watch: The next meaningful step will be prospective clinical studies that move beyond feasibility and retrospective success stories to compare outcomes, complications, and case selection against other reconstructive strategies; until then, this remains a promising, experience-dependent technique with a stronger rationale than evidence base. (mdpi.com)