🔍 Key Findings

From “Long-term follow up of 44 cats undergoing total hip replacement” by Rodiño Tilve et al.

• Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) was the most common surgical indication (61%, 34/56 hips), primarily affecting young neutered male cats.
• All THRs used cemented micro/nano BioMedtrix implants; most common femoral stem was size #3, and most common acetabular cup was 12 mm.
• Postoperative complication rate was 19.6% (11/56) with 9 major complications (luxation most common), and no intraoperative complications reported.
• All luxations occurred in hips implanted with femoral neck +0 mm length implants.
• Second luxations were more common when revision used same implant size; use of larger implants reduced reluxation rates.
• FMPI-sf score improved significantly from median 2.111 pre-op to 0.111 post-op (P < .001), indicating reduced pain and improved function.
• Very high owner satisfaction: 91% (30/33) reported outcome as "very good."
• No significant associations found between complications and variables like weight, sex, implant size, or surgical indication.

🔍 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

Case 1: Chest wall lift improved oxygenation (PaO₂ increased from 179.4 to 306.3 mmHg) and enabled thoracoscopic-assisted lobectomy in a cat with pleural effusion and pulmonary carcinoma.
Case 2: Chest wall lift using a Steinmann pin allowed 3-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for a bronchial foreign body; no complications observed.
Both cats: Lift increased working space and eliminated need for thoracotomy; no device-related complications.
Pretied ligating loops (PLL) were effective for hilar vessel ligation—preferred over staplers or self-locking ligatures in feline thorax.
Conclusion: Thoracic lift is a novel, minimally invasive method enhancing thoracoscopic procedures in small patients, particularly cats.

🔍 Key Findings

Population: 24 dogs (<8.5 months) undergoing unilateral cementless THR.
Growth Impact:

• Operated femurs showed ~11.5% less trochanteric growth than controls (p = .002).
• No significant difference in femoral diaphyseal + epiphyseal length (p = .712) or femur overall (p = .465).

Cortical Width:

• Increased significantly at 10 mm distal to trochanter (4.6% increase, p = .037) and at 50% femoral length (8.5% increase, p = .030).

Clinical relevance: Despite measurable changes, no clinically significant impairment to femoral length occurred.
Effect Sizes:

• Moderate negative for trochanteric growth.
• Moderate positive for proximal femoral width.

🔍 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

• Routine follow-up radiographs after MPL surgery influenced management in only 3% of asymptomatic cases.
• Isolated radiographic abnormalities were rare (3.3%) and even less likely to alter treatment unless accompanied by clinical concerns.
• Dogs with both radiographic changes and clinical/owner concerns had 32× higher odds of a management change (OR 32.16, P < .001).
• Lameness, NSAID use, or prior unplanned visits significantly increased the odds of altered post-op plans.
• Owner-reported concerns alone led to a change in only 1.6% of cases without corroborating clinical findings.
• Radiographic follow-up was deemed unnecessary in dogs without owner concerns or abnormal physical findings.
• Hands-on clinical exam remains critical, though video-based rechecks may aid triage in uncomplicated cases.
• The study supports selective radiographic follow-up, reducing unnecessary imaging, stress, and clinician workload.

🔍 Key Findings

• Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was successfully performed in all 22 cats without conversion to open surgery.
• Complication rate was low: 3 cats had postoperative complications (1 seroma, 1 vomiting, 1 EHBDO and death).
• Median operating time was 41 minutes; median hospitalization was 3 days.
• No cases required conversion to open laparotomy, even in cats as small as 2.5 kg.
• Common devices used: Hemoclips or Hem-o-lok for cystic duct ligation; Ligasure, harmonic scalpel, or j-hook for dissection.
• Most common indications: cholelithiasis (9/22) and cholecystitis (10/22), with one biliary mucocele and one adenoma.
• Histopathology confirmed diagnosis in all cases; concurrent liver or intestinal biopsies were performed in some cats.
• Postoperative AUS and bloodwork were routine and important for detecting early signs of EHBDO.

🔍 Key Findings

• Microvascular density at the site of foreign body obstruction was significantly lower in obstructed dogs compared to healthy controls.
• PBR (perfused boundary region) was paradoxically lower in obstructed dogs, indicating that PBR may not reliably correlate with tissue viability in this context.
• No significant difference in microvascular perfusion between subjectively viable vs nonviable intestines, suggesting subjective assessment is unreliable.
• No difference in perfusion parameters between handsewn and stapled enterectomies, indicating both techniques preserve vascular health equally.
• Stapled enterectomy using green TA staples is safe and did not impair intestinal perfusion at the anastomosis site.
• SDF videomicroscopy is feasible intraoperatively and can differentiate healthy from diseased intestine in dogs.
• Surgeons' subjective evaluations led to potentially unnecessary enterectomies, as microvascular parameters did not differ.
• No cases of dehiscence or mortality, suggesting both surgical approaches are effective when applied properly.

🔍 Key Findings

• 13 cadaver dogs underwent laparoscopic right lateral liver lobectomy in sternal recumbency using a transdiaphragmatic intrathoracic trocar (ITT).
• All lobectomies were successful, regardless of dog size.
• Median total surgical time: 35.5 min; median lobectomy time: 18.5 min.
• ITT port enhanced visualization and access to hilus.
• No correlation between body weight and hilus access (p = .78).
• Stronger correlation between liver lobe weight and lobectomy time (r = .73, p = .004).
• Complication in 3/13 cases: Loss of insufflation due to balloon-tip port failure and pneumothorax.
• Recommendation: Use a new balloon trocar per case in clinical applications to prevent failure.

🔍 Key Findings

• Both free-hand probing (FHP) and 3D-printed guides (3DPG) enabled accurate spinal pin placement, with 87.5% vs 96.4% of pins graded as optimal (Grade I).
• 3DPGs had fewer intraoperative deviations (0/56 pins) compared to 6/56 with the FHP technique.
• No pins using either method fully breached the medial vertebral canal (Grade IIb) — a critical safety outcome.
• Pins placed using 3DPGs required less time overall (mean 2.6 min) than FHP (mean 4.5 min).
• FHP required specific experience and has a learning curve, whereas 3DPG use requires CAD software and 3D printing access.
• FHP had more lateral canal violations (Grade IIIa: 4/56 vs 0/56 for 3DPG), suggesting slightly less precision.
• Both techniques were safe, and all deviations were recognized and corrected intraoperatively.
• 3DPGs may offer practical advantages in clinical settings lacking surgical expertise, while FHP allows immediate intervention without 3D printing delay.