🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Population: 754 soft tissue or orthopedic procedures in dogs and cats
• SSI Rate: 62/754 (8.2%)
• Algorithms Evaluated:
  • Algorithm 1: Highest sensitivity (87.1%) → best for "rule-out"
  • Algorithm 2: Highest specificity (97.9%) → best for "rule-in"
  • Algorithm 3: Highest overall accuracy (95.5%)
• Active vs. Passive Surveillance:
  • Active surveillance detected 12 additional SSIs (19.4%) missed by passive
  • Active surveillance increased detection rate by 24%
• Timing: Most SSIs occurred within 30 days; late infections (after 90 days) were rare and implant-related
• Conclusion: Client questionnaires are a valid and scalable tool for SSI detection; active surveillance improves outcomes

🔍 Key Findings

• 55 cases (49 dogs, 6 cats) with nonarticular tibial fractures were treated using linear ESF with a minimally invasive approach
• All fractures achieved radiographic union; no unacceptable outcomes were reported
• 40% complication rate, mostly minor (82%), primarily pin-tract morbidity; major complications (7%) included osteomyelitis and refracture
• Open fractures had significantly more major complications than closed ones (P = .019)
• Use of intraoperative imaging (72% cases) reduced surgery time but did not improve alignment (P > .05)
• Median surgery time: 74 min with imaging vs. 100 min without (P = .046)
• TPA was lower than normal in both dogs and cats, but did not correlate with poor outcomes
• 62% had full clinical recovery, and 38% had acceptable outcomes at fixator removal

🔍 Key Findings

• The addition of adrenaline (0.00198%) to bilateral maxillary nerve blocks significantly reduced intraoperative hemorrhage in dogs undergoing sharp staphylectomy (median reduction: 77.1%).
• Normalized hemorrhage (g/kg) and total hemorrhage (g) were significantly lower in the adrenaline group (p = .021 and p = .013, respectively).
• Surgeon-assessed hemorrhage scores were also significantly lower in the adrenaline group (median 2 vs. 3; p = .029), indicating improved surgical visibility.
• No adverse effects (e.g. tachycardia, arrhythmia, or hypertension) were observed with adrenaline administration.
• A standardized intraoral approach to the maxillary nerve block was used with 0.5 mL per side regardless of dog size.
• Breed effect observed: English Bulldogs had higher normalized hemorrhage, possibly due to anatomical variation or underdosing relative to size.
• Adrenaline may also prolong local anesthetic action and reduce blood aspiration risks, though this was not directly measured.
• The study supports the routine inclusion of adrenaline in maxillary nerve blocks for staphylectomy in BOAS patients to improve surgical field and reduce bleeding.

🔍 Key Findings

• Postoperative complications occurred in 20% of stifles, including 7.5% minor, 10.3% surgical, and 3.4% medical complications.
• The PROSPECT machine-learning model achieved high predictive accuracy: 92.3% for surgical complications, 91.9% for minor, and 94.3% for medical.
• Top predictive features included surgical technique, implant type, patient age, and surgeon identity.
• Surgeon-specific variables influenced predictions, indicating operator experience and technique matter.
• Engineered interaction features (e.g., breed × implant) were more predictive than raw clinical data alone.
• Rottweiler, intact male status, and higher bodyweight were associated with increased complication risk; Labradors had decreased risk.
• Model calibration was strong, especially for high and low probability predictions; midrange predictions were less reliable.
• The model supports individualized, probabilistic risk assessment, which could inform client counseling and tailored postoperative care.

PROSPECT = Predicting Risk Of Surgical compli­cations aftEr CCWO and TPLO

🔍 Key Findings

• Modified preputial urethrostomy without penile amputation was successfully performed in 4 male dogs with urethral stenosis or trauma.
• The technique involved anastomosis of the pelvic urethra to the preputial mucosa via caudal celiotomy, avoiding perineal urethrostomy complications.
• No cases of skin scalding or stoma stenosis were reported during short- and long-term follow-up.
• Two dogs developed mild urinary incontinence, particularly when excited; one improved with phenylpropanolamine.
• The approach preserved local anatomy, avoiding penile amputation, osteotomies, and preputial dissection.
• Postoperative urinary catheterization was used to protect the anastomosis, although optimal duration remains debated.
• Surgical access via the linea alba minimized tension at the anastomosis site and avoided complications from paramedian approaches.
• This technique may serve as a viable alternative to prepubic urethrostomy, reducing urine-related skin complications and improving cosmetic outcome.

🔍 Key Findings

• Resident involvement significantly increased TPLO surgery duration compared to cases performed by faculty surgeons (FS)-only. Residents required 54% more surgery time (GLSM, 153 min) than FS-only cases (GLSM, 99 min), representing a 1.54-fold increase.
• The study did not report on short-term complication rates. No conclusions can be drawn from this source regarding complications between resident and faculty groups.
• Bone plate contouring was not evaluated. The source does not provide data regarding contouring frequency or its comparison between groups.
• Surgery duration significantly decreased after the first year of residency, but remained stable between second- and third-year residents. This was largely due to shorter tibial osteotomy durations, while arthroscopy times remained unchanged across residency years.
• Meniscal treatment was performed in 80% of cases, and it was associated with increased surgical duration, but the study did not compare the frequency of medial meniscal release between resident and faculty cases.
• The study did not evaluate osteotomy healing or revision surgery. Cases requiring immediate reoperation were excluded.
• Bone union outcomes were not assessed at 8 weeks or any other time point.
• The study concludes that resident participation significantly prolongs surgical time, but no data are provided regarding the effect on short-term clinical outcomes.

🔍 Key Findings

• Mitral valve plasty (MVP) in dogs with MMVD significantly reduced regurgitant volume and fraction, and normalized LA:Ao ratio, indicating reversal of volume overload.
• MVP altered mitral valve geometry, with reduced annular dimensions and increased coaptation length, enhancing valve competence.
• Postoperative LA:Ao ratio dropped from 2.2 to 1.2, consistent with improved left atrial pressure and size.
• Forward stroke volume index and cardiac index increased at 3 months, reflecting improved hemodynamic function despite reduced fractional shortening.
• Three dogs (3.9%) died postoperatively, highlighting a 96.1% survival rate within 3 months.
• The repair technique involved artificial chordal replacement and annuloplasty; no cleft closure or leaflet suturing was used.
• Color Doppler echocardiography confirmed substantial reduction in mitral regurgitation postoperatively in most dogs.

🔍 Key Findings

Overall accuracy of radiography to detect IAIP: 77.9%

Sensitivity: 97.2%
Specificity: 67.6%

False positive rate: 32.4% of non-penetrating implants were misclassified as penetrating

Implants directed toward the lateral tibial condyle had higher misclassification (23.8%) than medial (8.3%)

Most accurate detection: Implants placed 2 mm into the joint (97.2% correct classification)

Least agreement: For implants placed at 0 mm (subchondral level), especially lateral (AC1 = 0.48)

No palpable abnormalities (e.g., crepitus) observed during ROM for any group

No significant difference in detection by specialty field or reviewer qualification

Suggests radiographic misclassification risk and supports considering CT/fluoroscopy in equivocal cases

🔍 Key Findings

• NAS-ILN had significantly greater stiffness in both axial compression and 4-point bending compared to LCP constructs.
• Ultimate load to failure was significantly higher for NAS-ILN in compression (804 N vs 328 N) and bending (25.7 Nm vs 16.3 Nm).
• Torsional stiffness and angular deformation were similar, but NAS-ILN resisted higher torque to failure than LCP (22.5 Nm vs 19.1 Nm).
• No slack was observed with the NAS-ILN construct, unlike older nail designs.
• Failure modes differed: LCPs failed via plate bending; NAS-ILNs failed at the implant or bone near screw holes.
• Titanium alloy and curved design of NAS-ILN provides better anatomic fit and more uniform stress distribution.
• A third, perpendicular locking hole in NAS-ILN may enhance torsional stability but was not utilized in this study.
• The curved, angle-stable design of NAS-ILN is a novel advancement in veterinary orthopedics.

🔍 Key Findings

• Dorsoventral radiographs artificially increase Norberg angle values by 3.2–5.8% and should be excluded.
• Lateral pelvic tilt >2° causes asymmetric changes in Norberg angle; >3° results in significant side-specific changes.
• Cranioventral-to-caudodorsal tilt >10° results in obvious radiographic tilt, but changes Norberg angle by only ~2%.
• Tilted but subjectively acceptable images have minor impact and may still be usable for screening.
• Norberg angle readings differed consistently between left/right hips — possibly due to operator handedness.