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Soft Tissue Surgery I
Module 3 - Master advanced soft tissue surgery, integrating diagnostic skills, advanced techniques, and patient management.
This course is a part of
Companion Animal SURGERY - Core course - Module 3
The purpose of this course is to provide the students with theoretical and practical tools to perform rational diagnostic work-up and clinical decision-making, and to extend the participants knowledge, personal skills and competences within the discipline of companion animal surgery.
The course will provide the students with theoretical and practical competences within the fundamentals of soft-tissue surgery focusing on common abdominal (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal, splenic, urological), and ear, nose, and throat surgeries in primary and referral practice.
The course addresses the principles of and uses a set of tools to assess the outcome of soft-tissue surgeries.
As part of the responsibilities of the companion animal surgeon the course emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to, and management of, soft-tissue surgical patients, animal pain perception, and individually-tailored anaesthetic and analgesic management.
This course is only available for students enrolled on the Surgery specialisation track.
For more details about the course, please refer to the course curriculum.
Read more about the specialisations tracks and the Master's programme on the main page:
Course Directors on Soft Tissue Surgery I
James Edward MilesProfessor MSO |
Dorthe HansenDVM, GPCertSAS, MS CACS (Surgery) |
Course details on Soft Tissue Surgery I
Dates and examination
Course dates
21 - 25 September 2026
The course is available every second year.
Examination
Please find dates and details about the exam in the exam schedule.
Learning outcomes
Having completed the course, the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- Understand the aetiology, pathophysiology and clinical appearance of soft tissue surgical disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal, splenic, and urological conditions), as well as of the ear, nose, and throat common in primary and referral practice.
- Understand the influence of surgical disorders of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory system on the selection of anaesthesia and analgesia protocols.
- Use and continue to develop common and typical techniques for selected surgical organ disease with focus on acute symptom relief.
- Explain, reflect about, and discuss a problem-oriented and evidence-based work-up, treatment plan and prognostication for patients with surgical disease of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory systems.
- Define and identify relevant anatomical structures.
Skills
- Perform atraumatic advanced surgical techniques with particular emphasis on tissue handling and minimal invasive diagnostics in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urologic conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.
- Applying advanced surgical technologies such as surgical staplers, electrosurgery, laser surgery, harmonic scalpels.
- Assess patients after surgery with focus on treatment effect, complications and prognosis.
Competences
- Evaluate, plan and manage a diagnostic work-up for a patient with a complex history within companion animal soft tissue surgery.
- Plan more advanced therapy/procedures for companion animal soft tissue surgery patients in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urogenital conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.
- Independently obtain, evaluate and elaborate on evidence based new knowledge within companion animal soft tissue surgery incl. ethical challenges.
- Collaborate and communicate within and between specialist and non-specialist peers and laypersons involved in companion animal soft-tissue surgical patient management.
Admission criteria
This course is only available for students enrolled in the Surgery specialisation of Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science.
Visit the Surgery page.
You must meet the following criteria to be admitted to this course:
- Hold a degree in Veterinary Medicine
- Have a minimum of 2 years of relevant job experience from companion animal practice
- Be proficient in English
- Have completed the previous courses at the Companion Animal Surgery specialisation.
Read more about admission on the main page of Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science.
Tuition fees
EU/EEA citizens*
32,500 DKK
Non-EU/EEA citizens
36,033 DKK
Tuition fees include hotel and full board.
*Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland is entitled to a subsidised tuition fee, due to EU legislation, hence the difference in price.
Location
28100 Novara
Italy
Contact
Christine Gulstad
Study Administration Officer
Tel.: +45 35 32 12 73
James Edward Miles
Professor MSO
DVM, PhD, GPCert SAS
I qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 1995. I have been employed at the small animal hospital at the Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences) since 2006, where my responsibilities include teaching and provision of surgical services.
In 2011 I completed a PhD at Copenhagen University based on research into objective diagnostic criteria relating to medial patellar luxation. Current research interests include identifying and assessing new objective criteria, and aspects of biomechanics relating to hind limb function, especially in regard to patellar luxation.
Dorthe Hansen
DVM, GPCertSAS, MS CACS (Surgery)