Gorilla scan
Vip, a 425-pound gorilla, was born in a zoo in the Netherlands and moved to a Boston zoo before coming to Seattle in 1996. After he had trouble breathing, zookeepers sedated him for a CT scan. The scan allowed doctors to diagnose him with a severe sinus infection.
Surgical scrubs
The zoo scheduled Vip's surgery five days later. With the help of the University of Washington, they turned the operating room at Woodland Park Zoo into a cutting-edge surgical suite.
Constant monitoring
Vip's sinus infection was so bad that both of his eyes were swollen on the day of the surgery. Animal health staff at Woodland Park Zoo administered anesthesia and monitored his vitals for four hours during the procedure.
Pointy canines
Dr. Greg Davis from the University of Washington led the surgical team that operated on Vip. "Every time I looked down I would just see these fangs sitting there," Davis told Live Science.
Sinus surgery
Davis and his team widened the natural openings in the sinus and removed some tissue and bone. They also removed out a large amount of thickened pus.
Tough nose
Vip's nose presented a challenge: it acted like an accordion, making it difficult to slip his instruments into during surgery Davis said. The surgeon turned his a special device that kept the nose open to help the surgery go smoothly.
After Gorilla Surgery
After the surgery, zookeepers wheeled Vip, which stands for Very Important Primate, out of the surgical room. The gorilla, who is now able to breathe through his nose, is making a good, but guarded recovery, they said.
