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Marine Turtle Newsletter 71:5, © 1995

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

ENDOSCOPIC REMOVAL OF POLYETHYLENE CORD
FROM A LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

In 1983 the Naples Aquarium started a project whereby wounded loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, as well as those confiscated by legal authorities, were brought to the Aquarium for care and subsequent release in areas suitable for their survival. The loggerhead is the most common species of marine turtle in Italian waters. Most of the wounded animals which come from the Gulf of Naples are affected by stress caused by maritime traffic or pollution, or have been wounded by fishing nets or hooks. Consequently, they require specific therapy and rehabilitation. However, because of the lack of scientific data we work very much on an experimental basis. The following passage describes the protocol used for an endoscopy performed on a wounded juvenile.

On 11 November 1994, a juvenile loggerhead turtle was found approximately 1.5 meters north of the Island of Panarea (Sicily) trapped in a bundle of polyethylene packaging twine. A piece of cord had been swallowed and extended out of the animal's mouth for a length of 20 cm. It could not be extracted manually. The animal was brought to the Naples Aquarium where it was weighed (13.3 kg), measured (48.5 cm curved shell length), and x-rayed for the presence of hooks. It was decided that an endoscopy was necessary to remove the cord.

Based on the anatomy and size of the vital organs, we opted for a surgical instrument 1 meter in length and 9 mm in diameter, with a surgical canal 2.8 mm in diameter. We used an Olympus EVIS 100 video-endoscope that allowed direct viewing and video recording on VHS. Anesthesia was not necessary. As a precaution, we fitted the animal with a plastic mouthpiece, with a diameter of 3 cm, through which the cord was laced and the surgical instrument was introduced. To better facilitate the introduction of the instrument we followed the course of the cord slowly down through the esophagus of the animal. It was not possible to go beyond the cardiac sphincter, which was approximately 25 cm from the opening of the mouth, probably because of the shape of the muscle. A simple traction of the cord from the outside, even after a great deal of effort, did not result in its extraction. It remained entrapped in the papillae which are directed in an oral-anal fashion to facilitate movement of food into the stomach.

We decided to introduce air into the esophagus and use endoscopic pliers in an effort to keep the cord within the lumen and away from the papillae. Once the cord was in the lumen we were able to extract it a few centimeters at a time by small, delicate tugs. We did this many times until, with the last pull, the entire 80 cm length was removed. The distal extremity of the cord was swollen with putrefied feces which caused us to deduce that it had passed through the pyloric valve and entered the intestine. An endoscopic examination of the viscera showed the absence of lesions. The animal was placed in an open circuit seawater tank and did not show excessive signs of stress. Five days later it began to feed on the fish Engraulis encrhasicolus, commonly known as the European anchovy.

It is our hope that in the future this procedure will enable us to safely and effectively remove other objects, such as fishing hooks or plastic bags.

Acknowledgements: We thank Vincenzo Esposito for technical assistance.

FLEGRA BENTIVEGNA, Stazione Zoologica 'Anton Dohrn' Villa Comunale I 80121 Naples, ITALY, CARMELA LOGUERCIO and DOMENICO TARANTO, II Policlinico Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, ITALY.