Your Custom Quiz
In Zann 2023 et al., on proximal humeral OC, what conclusion was drawn about the progression of osteoarthritis (OA)?
🔍 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.
Veterinary Surgery
6
2023
Long-term outcome of dogs treated by surgical debridement of proximal humeral osteochondrosis
2023-6-VS-zann-5
In Geier 2022 et al., on smoke evacuation in TPLO, which of the following statements best reflects the effect of electrosurgery on ultrafine particle levels during surgery?
🔍 Key Findings
- Use of smoke evacuators reduced ultrafine particle concentrations by 56.4% during approach to the proximal tibia for TPLO in dogs.
- Mean intraoperative particle concentrations were significantly higher in surgeries without smoke evacuation (1352 ppc vs. 763 ppc, P < .0001).
- Maximum particle concentrations were six times higher without smoke evacuation (62,450 ppc vs. 10,100 ppc, P < .0001).
- Particle counts increased above baseline regardless of evacuator use, confirming electrosurgery contributes substantially to airborne particles.
- Surgeons noted reduced odor and health concerns when using the smoke evacuator, despite initial visibility limitations due to pencil attachment.
- Standard surgical masks do not protect against ultrafine particles, underscoring the importance of smoke mitigation systems.
- The smoke-evacuation unit did not eliminate all ultrafine particles, suggesting optimization (e.g., higher power setting) may be beneficial.
- This is the first clinical veterinary study to measure surgical smoke reduction using evacuators during TPLO.
Veterinary Surgery
5
2022
The effect of a smoke‐evacuation unit on ultrafine particle concentrations in the operating room during approach to the proximal tibia for tibial plateau-leveling osteotomy surgery in dogs
2022-5-VS-geier-2
In Wylie 2025 et al., on femoral implant accuracy, what was the overall effect of internal brace augmentation on pivot shift grades at 6 weeks?
🔍 Key Findings
- Accurate femoral isometric placement was achieved in 63% of cases, significantly more with SwiveLock (78.6%) than FASTak (38.9%).
- Inaccurate placement was associated with increased internal tibial rotation at follow-up (p = .009), suggesting potential implant failure.
- Pivot shift grade improved in 90.9% of stifles postoperatively, regardless of implant positioning accuracy.
- SwiveLock implants had a faster learning curve and higher placement accuracy than FASTak.
- Higher patient weight was linked to more accurate implant placement (p = .012), likely due to easier anatomical landmark identification.
- No correlation found between implant type or positioning accuracy and final pivot shift grade at 6 weeks.
- Minor and major complications were low and not significantly different between implant types.
- A simplified 2-grade pivot shift system was proposed for clinical use (Grade 1: glide, Grade 2: clunk), aiding intraoperative decision-making.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2025
Evaluation of femoral isometric placement accuracy of internal brace implants and its impact on stifle stability in the management of pivot shift phenomenon following TPLO
2025-7-VS-wylie-3
In Evers 2022 et al., on bone-to-tendon plate fixation, what was the final functional outcome for the patient at 8.5 months?
🔍 Key Findings
- Bone-to-tendon plate fixation allowed successful stabilization of a highly comminuted calcaneus fracture in a dog with fragments too small for traditional fixation.
- The plate was sutured to the common calcaneal tendon using a figure-of-8 pattern, bypassing the need for screw fixation into small proximal fragments.
- Radiographic union was achieved by 17 weeks, though considered delayed, with the dog returning to normal function by 36 weeks post-op.
- A second surgery was required to replace the tendon-anchored plate with a calcaneus-only plate due to skin ulceration and implant prominence.
- Implant-associated infection was suspected; cultures confirmed Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, managed with doxycycline and clindamycin.
- Use of human placental matrix (hPM) and both autogenous and allogenic bone grafts supported healing, though their specific contribution remains uncertain.
- Postoperative complications included delayed union and skin ulceration, emphasizing challenges of implant design and soft tissue management.
- This is the first report of using a bone-to-tendon plate for a calcaneus fracture in dogs and demonstrates its potential in cases where traditional methods are not viable.
Veterinary Surgery
5
2022
Use of a bone‐to‐tendon plate to stabilize a comminuted calcaneus fracture in a dog
2022-5-VS-evers-5
In Haine 2022 et al., on outcomes in canine limb tumors, what proportion of dogs developed local recurrence or metastasis postoperatively?
🔍 Key Findings
- Fewer R1 margins (tumor on ink) were achieved in mast cell tumors (MCTs) when using 6–10 mm lateral margins versus 0–5 mm (7% vs. 55%; _P_ = .049).
- For soft tissue sarcomas (STSs), no benefit was seen in margin completeness between 0–5 mm vs. 6–10 mm lateral margins (41% vs. 43% R1).
- Overall R1 rates were 26% for MCTs and 42% for STSs following PNE.
- R scheme (“tumor on ink” = R1) had better interobserver agreement (83%) compared to ≤1 mm margin criteria (68% agreement).
- Complication rate was moderate (26%), but no surgeries required revision.
- Local recurrence/metastasis occurred in 14% of dogs, with 60% of those having R1 margins.
- Adjunctive therapy was considered clinically indicated in 46% of 0–5 mm margin cases vs. 24% of 6–10 mm cases.
- Histologic grade and tumor size were not predictive of margin completeness.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2022
Incomplete histological margins following planned narrow excision of canine appendicular soft tissue sarcomas and mast cell tumors, using the residual tumor classification scheme
2022-7-VS-haine-4
In Drudi 2022 et al., on CAL vs TAL outcomes, what clinical difference was reported between the two groups at 15-day follow-up?
🔍 Key Findings
- Cricoarytenoid lateralization (CAL) resulted in a significantly greater increase in rima glottidis area at both immediate (205%) and 15-day (199%) time points compared to thyroarytenoid lateralization (TAL) (152% and 127%, respectively).
- TAL group showed a significant reduction in rima glottidis area between immediate and 15-day postoperative measurements (P < .05), while CAL group had no significant reduction over time.
- No dogs in either group showed postoperative complications, including aspiration pneumonia, at the 15-day follow-up.
- All dogs showed improved clinical signs, including decreased stridor and increased exercise tolerance by day 15.
- CAL produced more stable postoperative glottic area, potentially due to preserved anatomical tension, whereas TAL might experience tension loss due to thyroid cartilage repositioning.
- Both procedures were technically effective and performed under the same protocol by a single board-certified surgeon.
- Endoscopic image analysis was used to quantify rima glottidis area, demonstrating a reliable objective method for surgical outcome assessment.
- Clinical outcome did not differ between groups, despite CAL showing a larger rima glottidis area.
Veterinary Surgery
3
2022
Comparison of immediate and short‐term outcomes of cricoarytenoid and thyroarytenoid lateralization in dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis
2022-3-VS-drudi-4
In Welsh 2025 et al., on orthogonal plating, what was the failure load for the OP2.0 construct?
🔍 Key Findings
- Compared unilateral plating (UP) vs orthogonal plating (OP) with 2.0, 2.4, and 3.0 mm plates (OP2.0, OP2.4, OP3.0).
- Model: acetal homopolymer (Delrin) rod with 29 mm fixed fracture gap, loaded axially (4–196 N, 90,000 cycles).
- OP constructs had 2.5–4.1x higher strength and 3.0–4.2x higher stiffness than UP constructs (p < .0002).
- UP had 3.5–4.1x higher gap strain than OP groups (p < .0075).
- All OP groups exceeded 1000 N max load before failure (vs 424 N for UP).
- Greater implant size in OP groups further increased performance.
- All constructs survived fatigue loading; 3.5 mm plates showed deformation, especially UP; OP plates remained intact.
Veterinary Surgery
4
2025
Biomechanical analysis of orthogonal and unilateral locking plate constructs in a fracture gap model
2025-4-VS-welsh-3
In Power 2022 et al., on liposomal bupivacaine use, which of the following statements about surgical wound classification and complication rate is true?
🔍 Key Findings
- Overall complication rate was 19.7% (43/218), with most being mild (CSS 1).
- Soft tissue procedures had higher complication rates (26%) than orthopedic procedures (11.6%) (P < 0.01).
- No difference in complication rates between clean, clean-contaminated, and contaminated wounds (P = 0.55).
- No difference in complication rates between labeled use (CCL surgery) and off-label orthopedic procedures (P = 0.21).
- Majority of complications (63%) were mild, resolving without intervention or with topical therapy.
- Severe complications requiring revision surgery were rare (2.3%) and occurred mainly in soft-tissue surgeries.
- Most common complications included SSI (25.6%), dehiscence (16.3%), and seroma (14%).
- Liposomal bupivacaine appears safe for use in broader orthopedic procedures beyond current labeling.
Veterinary Surgery
4
2022
Incidence and severity of short‐term incisional complications after intraoperative local infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine in dogs
2022-4-VS-power-5
In Vodnarek 2024 et al., on nasopharyngeal fluoroscopy, which method showed the **highest intraobserver agreement** for ΔL?
🔍 Key Findings
- Study population: 36 brachycephalic dogs (20 French bulldogs, 16 pugs).
- Objective: Compare intra- and interobserver reliability for fluoroscopic measurement of nasopharyngeal collapse using two methods:
- Functional method
- Anatomically adjusted method
- Key measurements: Minimum (LMin), maximum (LMax) dorsoventral height, and dynamic change ratio (ΔL).
- Outcomes:
- Intraobserver agreement for ΔL was higher with the functional method (ICC 0.751 vs. 0.576).
- Observer 1 (radiologist) showed excellent repeatability (>0.9 ICC).
- Agreement for grading collapse was only moderate (κ ~0.49–0.53), worse than ΔL-based agreement.
- ΔL ≥ 0.5 to <1 = partial collapse; ΔL = 1 = complete collapse.
Veterinary Surgery
1
2024
Reliability of fluoroscopic examination of nasopharyngeal dorsoventral dimension change in pugs and French bulldogs
2024-1-VS-vodnarek-2
In Schroeder 2022 et al., on fascial anatomy mapping, which fascial type is associated with periosteum and bony structures?
🔍 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.
Veterinary Surgery
1
2022
Fascial plane mapping for superficial tumor resection in dogs. Part I: Neck and trunk
2022-1-VS-schroeder-5
Quiz Results
You answered 7 out of 10 questions correctly
Key Findings