🔍 Key Findings

Source: Bush et al., 2023, Veterinary Surgery

• Median survival time (MST) after surgery was 1886 days, which is significantly longer than previously reported.
• Lymph node metastasis at surgery was a negative prognostic factor, reducing MST to 248 days (vs. 2340 days without nodal involvement).
• Local recurrence occurred in 42% of dogs, with a median disease-free interval (DFI) of 191 days.
• Metastatic disease occurred in 32% of dogs, most commonly to the lungs, with a median DFI of 299 days.
• Histologic features (e.g., margin status, capsular, lymphatic, or vascular invasion) were not significantly correlated with recurrence or metastasis.
• Facial nerve injury occurred in 9.7% perioperatively, especially after parotidectomy; intraoperative facial nerve transection led to long-term deficits.
• Adjuvant therapies (chemotherapy, radiation, NSAIDs) did not significantly affect survival time.
• Incisional biopsy was only 38% concordant with final excisional histology, suggesting limited reliability for definitive diagnosis.

🔍 Key Findings

• Delayed union occurred in 13.9% of fractures; non-union in 4.6%; mal-union in 0.7%
• Major implant failure increased odds of delayed or non-union by 12.9×
• Surgical site infection increased risk 3.2×; bone grafting (any type) was also associated (OR 3.3)
• Comminuted fractures had 4.2× greater odds of delayed or non-union
• Older age increased risk, with odds increasing by 21% per year
• Radius and ulna fractures in toy breeds were not high risk, contrary to historical belief
• Most non-unions required revision surgery with rhBMP-2 or autograft to achieve union
• Ilium fractures showed 0% delayed/non-union — possibly due to robust muscle envelope

🔍 Key Findings

• Chlorhexidine-based asepsis protocols were comparable to povidone-iodine for reducing surgical site infection (SSI) rates in veterinary surgery.
• No significant difference in skin bacterial colonization was observed between the two antiseptics, at both immediate and delayed timepoints.
• Chlorhexidine-alcohol protocols showed a non-significant trend toward improved bacterial reduction in some studies, though inconsistent across all studies.
• Use of neutralizing agents was inconsistent, which may have led to overestimation of antiseptic efficacy in several studies.
• Formulations and concentrations varied widely (e.g., chlorhexidine 0.5–4%, povidone-iodine 0.7–1%), contributing to heterogeneity and limiting definitive conclusions.
• Only a minority of studies reported using CDC criteria for SSI diagnosis, affecting the reliability of infection outcomes.
• Risk of bias was high or unclear in multiple domains across all included studies, limiting overall confidence in conclusions.
• Meta-analysis confirmed no statistically significant superiority of either protocol for SSI prevention or skin bacterial reduction.

🔍 Key Findings

• Thoracoscopic (TL) or thoracoscopic-assisted (TAL) lobectomy was successfully performed in 12 dogs with non-neoplastic pulmonary consolidation (PC).
• 44% (4/9) of TL cases were converted to open thoracotomy due to adhesions or poor visualization—higher than rates for neoplastic lobectomies.
• OLV was successful in 7/9 TL dogs; unsuccessful attempts were managed with intermittent ventilation, mostly in brachycephalic breeds.
• Median hospital stay was 3 days; 91.7% (11/12) survived to discharge, and 100% of survivors showed no recurrence at median 24-month follow-up.
• Complications were mostly minor: pneumothorax (2), minor hemorrhage (3), dehiscence (1), and 1 fatality due to BOAS complications.
• Histopathology showed infectious pneumonia in 10 dogs, and in 4 cases, foreign body migration was suspected as the underlying cause.
• Median surgical time for TL was 90 minutes; conversion correlated with longer symptom duration (median 90 vs. 7 days).
• Postoperative recovery was excellent in all surviving dogs, with one case of persistent cough attributed to concurrent heart disease.

🔍 Key Findings

• Combined ICTL and NIRF detected the same SLN in 80% of cases; each method alone missed sentinel lymph nodes in some dogs.
• ICLT failed in 5% of dogs, while NIRF failed in 20%; combined use resulted in only 5% failure in SLN detection.
• Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 95% of dogs, despite most tumors being low or intermediate grade (95%).
• 27 of 41 nodes (65.8%) were histologically metastatic (HN2 or HN3), many of which would have been missed using ALN alone.
• ALN matched the SLN in only 45% of cases with ICTL and 30% with NIRF, supporting the need for SLN mapping.
• ICLT and NIRF were complementary, often identifying different SLN, with some only fluorescent or enhanced in one modality.
• Subcutaneous MCT had higher metastatic rates (7/8 dogs) than previously reported, challenging older assumptions about benign behavior.
• Removing both ALN and SLN (from both methods) improved detection of metastasis to 85–95%, reducing risk of understaging.

🔍 Key Findings

• Adding Locking Head Inserts (LHI) to a 3.5-mm LCP had no effect on plate strain, stiffness, or deformation in an open fracture gap model.
• Peak strain consistently occurred at the Combi-hole over the fracture gap, with values up to ~1837 µε.
• No significant difference in strain was found across configurations with 0, 3, or 9 LHI (p = 0.847).
• Construct stiffness and compressive displacement also remained unchanged regardless of LHI count (p = 0.311 and 0.069 respectively).
• Study contradicted the hypothesis that LHI would reduce strain and increase stiffness under biologic loading.
• Combi-hole design may limit the efficacy of LHI, as LHI only fill the locking portion, not the compression side where strain peaks.
• Implant fatigue risk remains highest over unfilled screw holes, especially over fracture sites—confirming previous failure patterns.
• Surgeons should consider alternative methods to reduce strain when facing high implant load scenarios.

🔍 Key Findings

Sample: 21 cats (10 control, 11 affected); 14 normal limbs vs 18 with MPL (MPL II: 7, MPL III: 11).

Significantly different CT measurements in MPL vs control:

• aLDFA: MPL II > control and MPL III (p = 0.014)
• FTW: MPL III > control (p = 0.021)
• FTD: control > MPL II and III (p < 0.001)
• TTA: MPL II and III had increased external tibial torsion vs control (p < 0.001)
• fPL and PV: MPL III cats had longer and more voluminous patellae

No significant differences in AA, mMPTA, TTD, fPW, aPH.
Patella width exceeded trochlear width in all groups.
Authors suggest femoral and tibial angular correction may not be indicated in most feline MPL II–III cases.
Soft tissue techniques and trochleoplasty warrant further investigation.
CT method: Intraobserver ICC good in 64%, interobserver poor in 36% of metrics.

🔍 Key Findings

• Oxley's modified CCWO did not achieve the target TPA of 5° in most cases, even with planning.
• Mean planned TPA was 7.6°, higher than target, and consistent across dog sizes.
• Postoperative TPAs were significantly higher in small dogs (median 7°) than in large dogs (median 4.5°).
• Distalization >7.5 mm of the osteotomy from the patellar tendon led to increased under-correction of TPA.
• Only dogs with preoperative TPA >35° achieved post-planning TPAs close to the 5° target.
• Postoperative osteotomy positions were generally more distal than recommended (8.6 mm median).
• Virtual plate fit was appropriate for all dogs at 5 mm or 7.5 mm positions, suggesting no need for excessive distalization.
• Excessive correction leading to negative TPAs occurred in some cases, risking caudal cruciate ligament strain.

🔍 Key Findings

• Median BFX stem subsidence was only 0.4 mm, but values ranged from −4.1 to 9.8 mm across 177 THRs.
• Subsidence was significantly associated with stem complications (p = .005), but not with non-stem complications (p = .76) or prosthetic luxation (p = .07).
• Most stem complications were intraoperative femoral fissures (8/11), and only one fissure progressed to postoperative femoral fracture.
• Traditional subsidence thresholds of 3 mm and 5 mm poorly predicted complications; most stems exceeding these values remained complication-free.
• Large subsidence can be clinically inconsequential, with two stems demonstrating 8.8 mm and 9.8 mm of subsidence without complications.
• Canal flare index, canal fill, and stem orientation were not associated with subsidence, suggesting limited predictive value of these radiographic measurements.
• Subsidence may reflect consequences of intraoperative fissures rather than cause complications, supporting a possible reverse-causality relationship.
• Clinical interpretation of subsidence should be contextual, considering fissures, implant sizing, femoral morphology, and patient factors rather than relying on numeric cutoffs alone.

🔍 Key Findings

• Limb-sparing surgery aims to preserve limb function after resection of diseased bone, most commonly for appendicular osteosarcoma but also for non-repairable fractures causing critical bone defects.
• Survival outcomes after limb-sparing can be comparable to limb amputation, providing an alternative for owners who decline amputation or for dogs poor candidates for amputation.
• Techniques fall into two main categories: reconstruction of the bone defect or procedures that avoid reconstruction, depending on tumor location and surgical strategy.
• Common reconstructive techniques include cortical allografts, endoprostheses, bone transport osteogenesis, vascular or non-vascular autografts, and tumor-treated autografts.
• Non-reconstruction procedures include partial scapulectomy, partial ulnectomy, or limb shortening, which preserve limb function without rebuilding the bone defect.
• Major contraindications include detectable metastatic disease and extensive soft tissue involvement, although criteria such as pathologic fracture remain controversial.
• Complications are common and include infection, biomechanical failure, and local tumor recurrence, often due to extensive surgery, implants, chemotherapy-associated immunosuppression, and limited soft tissue coverage.
• Technique selection depends on anatomical site, available equipment, surgeon expertise, and owner factors, and comparative outcome data for many techniques remain limited.