🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 5 juvenile dogs (mean age 7.2 months) with grade III–IV MPL were treated surgically.
• Most had femoral varus + external tibial torsion; some had shallow trochlear grooves.
• Distal femoral osteotomy was performed in 4/5 dogs; Tibial tuberosity transposition (TTT) in 3/5; Sulcoplasty in 2/5.
• Mean time to weight bearing: 9.8 ± 5.5 days; healing: 55 ± 24 days
• No reluxations, and final radiographic values for aLDFA and torsion were maintained at 1 year.
• One complication due to domestic trauma, not surgical failure.
• Early surgery appeared to preserve alignment and prevent deformity progression.

🔍 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

• All dogs developed progressive osteoarthritis (OA) after surgical debridement of proximal humeral OC.
• Ipsilateral muscle atrophy and reduced shoulder range of motion were common, particularly in unilaterally affected dogs.
• Arthroscopically, lesions showed incomplete cartilage infilling even years after surgery, averaging only ~37% infilling.
• Synovitis was present in all joints, with moderate-to-severe hypertrophy and vascularity scores.
• CT identified OC lesions as deeper and wider than radiography, and all affected joints had more advanced OA than contralateral limbs (P = .001 radiograph, P = .005 CT).
• Kinetic gait analysis showed no significant differences in peak vertical force or impulse, but a subtle 4.4% asymmetric load reduction on the operated limb.
• Median LOAD score was 6, indicating mild owner-perceived disability despite measurable clinical and imaging abnormalities.
• Cartilage infilling was incomplete in all cases, with no lesion exceeding 60% restoration, raising questions about the healing potential of debridement alone.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 16 dogs (18 stifles) with CrCL rupture and TPA >34° were treated using the DCTPLO
• Mean TPA correction: from 39.4° to 6.3°
• Bone union at 60 days in 17/18 stifles; remaining healed by 90 days
• Minor complications (e.g., small wedge gaps) in 2/18 stifles — no major complications
• Patellar ligament thickening seen in 16/18 stifles but no clinical signs noted
• The technique enabled safer reduction with less risk of tibial crest fracture vs. conventional TPLO

🔍 Key Findings

• Cup positioning accuracy for the angle of lateral opening (ALO) was significantly influenced by impactor design for beginner surgeons.
• The prototype impactor reduced ALO mean error for the beginner surgeon (1.8°) compared with the standard impactor (3.9°).
• Senior surgeons achieved similar ALO accuracy regardless of impactor type, suggesting experience mitigates instrument limitations.
• Beginner surgeons using the standard impactor tended to place cups with excessive ALO (~48.9°), deviating from the ideal 45°.
• Cup retroversion accuracy was not significantly affected by the impactor type, indicating it depends more on surgeon experience and anatomical landmark recognition.
• Typical acceptable retroversion range for Zurich THR cups is approximately 15–25°, matched to the patient’s acetabular anatomy.
• Prototype impactor design improvements included ergonomic handle, wider hammering surface, shorter aiming bar, and cup-size–specific holders, improving instrument stability and alignment.
• Improved instrument ergonomics may facilitate safer learning curves for surgeons performing canine total hip replacement.

🔍 Key Findings

• Surgeons with smaller glove sizes experienced more difficulty using laparoscopic instruments, especially endoscopic staplers, cup biopsy forceps, and vessel sealing devices.
• Endoscopic stapler was rated the most difficult instrument, with a median difficulty score of 4/10 and 25% usage difficulty.
• Female surgeons reported significantly more difficulty with several instruments due to smaller glove size.
• Reusable instruments were preferred over disposable ones for all tasks.
• Pistol grips were preferred for grasping/retracting and fine dissection, while axial grips were preferred for suturing/knot tying.
• Articulating handles were consistently associated with increased reported difficulty, especially with scissors and cup biopsy forceps.
• Left-handed surgeons had more difficulty operating endoscopic staplers, suggesting limited design inclusivity.
• Surgeons in academic settings reported more difficulty with laparoscopic maneuvers than those in private practice.

🔍 Key Findings

• Intraoral approach (IOA) reduced surgical time compared to lateral orbitotomy (median: 42.0 vs 65.7 minutes, p = .005)
• Ease of closure (Stage III) was better with IOA (p < .001), though gland removal (Stage II) was easier with LOA (p = .039)
• Complete gland removal was achieved in 8/10 IOA vs 10/10 LOA cases in cadaveric study
• All 3 clinical cases had uneventful recoveries post-IOA, including one carcinoma, with no intra- or short-term postoperative complications
• LOA had superior surgical exposure, but was more invasive and time-consuming
• IOA posed greater difficulty in complete gland removal in brachycephalic dogs, with remnant tissue noted in 2/10 cadavers
• IOA avoids osteotomy, reducing potential complications like delayed union and postoperative pain
• Cosmetic outcomes and healing were better with IOA, and no E-collar was required postoperatively

🔍 Key Findings

Objective: Validate a new 3D CT-based method for measuring tibial torsion in dogs with MPL, comparing it to a traditional method.

Sample: 40 tibiae from client-owned dogs with MPL (primarily small-breed).

Repeatability (intraobserver):

• New method: ICC = 0.99 → excellent agreement

Reproducibility (interobserver):

• New method: ICC = 0.83 → high agreement
• Traditional method: ICC = 0.52 → moderate agreement

Torsion angle measurements:

• New method avg: 16.00° ± 8.77
• Traditional method avg: 8.76° ± 4.92

Conclusion: The new method is more repeatable, reproducible, and provides higher torsion values than the traditional Aper method, especially reliable for small-breed dogs.

🔍 Key Findings

• 20 dogs (26 shoulders) evaluated at mean 3.5 years post-surgery after arthroscopic or open debridement.
• Ipsilateral muscle atrophy and decreased range of motion (↓ extension, ↓ flexion) in affected limbs compared to contralateral healthy shoulders.
• All treated shoulders developed osteoarthritis, confirmed radiographically, by CT, and arthroscopically.
• Moderate to severe synovitis was present in all shoulders; lesions showed patchy, incomplete cartilage infilling even up to 8.9 years post-op.
• Kinetic gait analysis showed no significant differences in PVF/VI between affected and unaffected limbs, despite mild lameness clinically.
• Owners reported good to very good mobility (median LOAD = 6), often underestimating clinical lameness.
• CT detected larger lesion dimensions than radiographs (wider, deeper defects).
• Despite progression of OA, surgical debridement was associated with satisfactory long-term function, though not prevention of degenerative changes.

🔍 Key Findings

• Study Design: Prospective, randomized clinical trial of 45 dogs undergoing liver biopsy or lobectomy.
• Groups:
  • Adhesive gelatin sponge (AG) group (n=22)
  • Plain collagen sponge (PC) group (n=23)
• Main Results:
  • At 5 minutes post-application, 10/20 PC dogs were still bleeding vs. 2/20 AG dogs (p = 0.0138).
  • AG had significantly better adhesion scores (median 2 vs. 1, p < 0.001).
  • Sponge dislodgement: 5/23 in PC group, 0/22 in AG group (p = 0.042).
  • Time to 50% hemostasis: AG = 2 min, PC = 4 min 49 sec.
• Complications: No adverse events related to either sponge.
• Conclusion: Adhesive gelatin sponges offered superior intraoperative adhesion and hemostatic control during canine liver surgery compared to collagen sponges.