🔍 Key Findings

• Fascial planes in dogs were consistently classifiable into four surgical types:
• Type I (discrete sheets), Type II (tightly adhered to thin muscle), Type III (tightly adhered to thick muscle), and Type IV (periosteum-associated).
• Two junction types were identified: Type A (easily elevated) and Type B (higher risk of disruption).
• Disruption-prone areas include the scapular spine (type IV fascia) and lateral thorax near the 13th rib, where rib resection may be needed to preserve margins.
• The latissimus dorsi transition zones and fascial areas near the thoracic inlet and scapulohumeral joint were prone to fascial thinning or disruption.
• Partial muscle resections or periosteal elevations may be required in areas with fragile fascia to maintain oncologic margins.
• Dorsal spinous processes (T6–L6) showed type IV fascia; however, osteotomy may be needed in some dogs for clear margins.
• Blended fascial transitions (e.g., rectus abdominis: type II cranially, type I caudally) necessitate intraoperative judgment on resection depth.
• Cutaneous trunci may suffice as a deep margin for small, low-grade tumors in well-muscled dogs, but not reliably for high-grade or larger masses.

🔍 Key Findings

• Lower CTI values were significantly associated with higher risk of both intraoperative and postoperative femoral fractures or fissures (p <.0001).
• The mean CTI for all dogs was 0.285, whereas dogs with fissures/fractures had a mean CTI of 0.246.
• For each 0.001 increase in CTI, odds of fissure/fracture decreased by 2–3% depending on perioperative timing.
• High interobserver reliability (ICC = 0.984) and consistency between pre- and postoperative CTI measurements (ICC = 0.96).
• CTI was the only significant risk factor identified; age, breed, bodyweight, BCS, CFI, or luxoid hips were not significant.
• Prophylactic lateral plating in dogs with low CTI (mean 0.230) resulted in no postoperative fractures.
• Postoperative fractures occurred in 8% of cases, and 93% of dogs returned to full function within one year.
• CTI may be a useful radiographic screening tool, especially when advanced imaging (e.g., DEXA) is unavailable.

🔍 Key Findings

Study population: 21 dogs with portocaval extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (EHPSS)
Surgical approach: 67% (14/21) underwent ameroid constrictor placement
Perioperative complications: 4 dogs (19%), including seizures (n = 2), vomiting, and abdominal effusion
Perioperative mortality: 1 dog (5%)
Postoperative clinical outcome:

• Good to excellent outcome: 81% (17/21)
• Median follow-up: 6 months (range 3–43)

Persistence of shunting (CT or US): 56% (9/16 evaluated)
Dogs with persistent shunting: 67% still had good to excellent clinical outcome
Congenital portocaval shunts may have more favorable outcomes than previously reported

🔍 Key Findings

• The survey included 111 practicing surgeons and 28 residents from ACVS, ECVS, and ANZCVS. 98.2% had performed soft tissue minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
• In the past year, surgeons reported a median caseload of 90% basic laparoscopy, 0% advanced laparoscopy, and 10% thoracoscopy; for residents: 100% basic laparoscopy, 0% advanced, 0% thoracoscopy.
• Laparoscopic ovariectomy and OHE were the most commonly performed MIS procedures, with most respondents proficient in basic laparoscopy, but few performing advanced laparoscopy or thoracoscopy.
• Top barriers to MIS adoption were: lack of consistent caseload, lack of training, difficult learning curve, equipment limitations, and cost.
• 76.6% of surgeons and 92.9% of residents received MIS training during residency. Those trained had completed residency median 6 years ago, compared to 22 years ago for those without MIS training (p < .001). Perceived adequate training correlated with higher proficiency.
• MIS was recognized as having a steep learning curve, but patient benefits (mean score 4.0/5) were the top motivation — less pain, faster recovery, improved visualization.
• The authors conclude basic laparoscopy is widely adopted, but advanced and thoracoscopic MIS remain underutilized. Training and access are key to future growth.
• Expanded training and improved access to equipment are necessary to promote broader integration of MIS into veterinary soft-tissue surgery.

🔍 Key Findings

• Precontoured plates using 3D-printed femoral models achieved near-anatomic alignment in all cadaver limbs.
• Fracture reduction system (FRS) required significantly fewer fluoroscopy images than intramedullary pin (IMP) methods (7 vs 26, P = .001).
• Despite longer surgical time (43 vs 29 minutes, P = .011), FRS showed equally accurate or better alignment compared to IMP.
• Femoral length, frontal, sagittal, and axial alignment were all within near-anatomic thresholds (<10 mm or <5° deviation) in both groups.
• FRS was associated with more consistent length maintenance, with IMP showing a median shortening of 2.3 mm (P = .03).
• Axial plane deviation was statistically different in the FRS group (P = .04), but still clinically acceptable.
• Study highlights potential for custom 3D-printed guides to reduce radiation exposure and improve precision in MIPO procedures.
• Authors caution that FRS was time-consuming and cumbersome, suggesting design refinements needed for clinical use.

🔍 Key Findings

• Minimally invasive fluoroscopic technique yielded median reduction of 94.1% immediately postoperative.
• Screw purchase ≥60% in sacral body achieved in 82% of cases, with median purchase of 73.3%.
• One screw exited caudally; no dorsal, ventral, or cranial exits reported.
• At 7-week follow-up, reduction and purchase slightly declined but remained effective (p = .008 and p = .013).
• No screw loosening observed, even in suboptimal reductions or purchases.
• Pelvic canal width and symmetry (PCDR and HCWR) were restored and maintained.
• Excellent long-term function: FMPI ≥0.98 in 9 of 10 cats; owners reported 10/10 satisfaction.
• Fluoroscopy enabled accurate screw placement and minimized tissue trauma, contributing to rapid recovery.

🔍 Key Findings

• Exercise-based rehabilitation showed benefits in 6 of 7 studies, including increased peak vertical force (PVF) and reduced lameness, though most had high risk of bias (RoB).
• Cold compression therapy (CCT) had 2 high-quality (Level II, low RoB) studies showing improvements in pain scores, range of motion, and swelling, supporting its clinical use.
• Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) was supported by 2 Level II studies; only one had low RoB, showing short-term benefits in patellar ligament thickness and PVF, but no long-term benefit on bone healing.
• Photobiomodulation (PBM) had mixed results across 3 Level II studies (all low RoB); only 1 showed positive impact on PVF, limiting its recommendation.
• Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) showed no significant impact on gait analysis or bone healing in a Level II, low RoB study.
• Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) improved lameness and thigh circumference in one Level III study, but had high-moderate RoB and involved experimentally-induced CCL rupture, limiting clinical relevance.
• No modality beyond exercise and CCT had consistent or strong evidence for efficacy in post-TPLO or extracapsular repair rehabilitation.
• The absence of standardized protocols, small sample sizes, and inconsistent outcome measures limited the generalizability of findings.

🔍 Key Findings

• Remote respiratory function grading (RFG) had poor to moderate reliability compared to in-person assessment.
• Expert graders had higher agreement with in-person scores than novices (Cohen’s kappa 0.37–0.48 vs. 0.21–0.47).
• Interobserver agreement was moderate among experts (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.59) and poor among novices (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.39).
• Remote recordings suffered from background noise, short clip durations, and technical limitations of electronic stethoscope recordings.
• Final RFG scores were based on the highest grade across categories (respiratory noise, inspiratory effort, dyspnea/cyanosis/syncope).
• Clinical impact: Only in-person grading reliably supports decisions for surgical intervention or breeding restrictions.

🔍 Key Findings

• Lateral humeral condylar fractures (LHCF) were most common, comprising 63.6% of cases.
• Transcondylar screw (TCS) + K-wire(s) fixation had a 7.62x higher risk of major complications compared to other methods (p = .009).
• All cases of TCS migration occurred in the TCS + K-wire group; none occurred with plate fixation.
• Overall complication rate was 40.9%, with 29.5% being major and requiring intervention.
• Contralateral humeral intracondylar fissures (HIF) were found in 58.1% of French Bulldogs with CT data.
• No significant association between age and presence of HIF, but fissure length increased with age (R = 0.47, p = .048).
• Younger, lighter dogs had higher complication and screw migration rates, possibly due to softer bone and smaller condyles.
• TCS + plate fixation had the lowest complication rate, suggesting biomechanical superiority.

🔍 Key Findings

• Six dogs with thyroid carcinoma underwent preoperative CT lymphography (CTL) and intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping using methylene blue (MB) and indocyanine green (ICG) with near-infrared (NIR) imaging.
• SLNs were successfully identified in all dogs (6/6).
• SLNs included medial retropharyngeal, cranial deep cervical, and superficial cervical nodes.
• Metastatic carcinoma was found in 3/12 SLNs, in 2/6 dogs.
• Some discordance occurred between CTL and intraoperative SLN findings (partial match in 3/6).
• Protocol modifications (e.g., reduced dye volume, post-exposure injection) improved localization and minimized dye diffusion.
• No intraoperative complications or adverse events occurred.
• Study supports further investigation of combined SLN mapping techniques in canine thyroid cancer.