🔍 Key Findings

• All four arthrocentesis techniques achieved 100% intra-articular accuracy, confirming that each landmark-guided method could successfully access the canine stifle joint.
• Lateral intercondylar notch (LINC) was the most commonly used technique clinically, reported by 87.5% (35/40) of surveyed surgeons.
• INFRA and SUPRA required significantly more needle repositions (median 3 and 2) compared with LINC and POUCH (median 1) (p = .001).
• No iatrogenic articular cartilage injury (IACI) occurred with LINC or SUPRA techniques, suggesting favorable safety profiles.
• INFRA produced the highest IACI rate (75%), with 6/8 limbs affected, indicating substantial risk with this approach.
• More than half of INFRA injuries exceeded 10 mm² and involved weight-bearing cartilage, raising concern for clinically significant joint damage.
• POUCH technique caused IACI in 37.5% of cases, but injuries occurred exclusively on non-weight-bearing cartilage.
• SUPRA (suprapatellar) approach demonstrated accuracy with zero cartilage injury, making it a promising safer alternative for stifle arthrocentesis pending clinical validation.

🔍 Key Findings

• 3D-printed patient-specific guides (PSGs) significantly improved accuracy of drill hole entry (p < 0.001) and exit (p = 0.044) compared to commercial aiming devices (AD).
• Zero joint penetrations occurred with PSGs, whereas 3 of 7 AD-guided screws were predicted to penetrate the joint (p = 0.19).
• Variance in exit point and drill angle was significantly lower in PSG group, suggesting more consistent results.
• One PSG case failed due to improper guide seating, but this was corrected with improved soft tissue clearance.
• PSGs enabled safer trajectories despite use by novice surgeons, emphasizing their value in less experienced hands.
• Drill holes placed with ADs deviated more cranially and distally, increasing the risk of articular violation.
• Use of PSGs allowed for tighter clustering of drill trajectories, especially in the cranial–caudal axis.
• Subjective feedback favored PSGs for ease of use and ergonomic design, despite requiring slightly larger incisions.

🔍 Key Findings

• Long-term respiratory outcomes after BOAS surgery remained improved vs. preoperative values, with no significant decline over time.
• Short-term and long-term Respiratory Functional Grades (RFGs) improved in 81% of dogs, with 34% improving by two grades.
• BOAS indices improved significantly in both short- and long-term follow-ups (mean decrease ~23–25%), supporting sustained benefit.
• No significant difference between short- and long-term BOAS indices (p = .623), indicating durability of surgical effects.
• Obesity impacted outcomes — dogs with increased RFG at long-term follow-up were more likely to have gained weight.
• Owner-reported outcomes poorly correlated with objective measures — some dogs classified as BOAS-affected were perceived by owners as “normal.”
• Multilevel surgery was common, with palatoplasty, tonsillectomy, sacculectomy, and ala-vestibuloplasty most frequently performed.
• Dogs undergoing revision airway surgery were excluded, possibly biasing long-term outcomes toward favorable results.

🔍 Key Findings

• TPLO mRUST scoring showed improved inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.56) compared to subjective evaluation (Kappa = 0.33).
• Intra-rater reliability was similar for both methods (TPLO mRUST: 0.73, subjective: 0.72).
• TPLO mRUST scores ≥10/12 strongly correlated with radiographic union, as subjectively assessed (99% agreement).
• No significant difference in healing between first and second TPLO sides (P = .09), countering assumptions about load-bearing impact.
• Higher initial lameness scores and younger age were associated with higher TPLO mRUST scores, suggesting more robust healing in those groups.
• Postoperative complications were linked to lower TPLO mRUST scores, indicating impaired healing.
• Medial cortex was excluded from scoring due to plate obstruction, validating use of only 3 cortices for scoring.
• The TPLO mRUST system may standardize healing assessment, reducing subjective bias across specialties.

🔍 Key Findings

• In an ex vivo study of 20 canine femur pairs, implantation of a novel hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) prosthesis reduced maximum load (ML) by 22% and load at collapse (LC) by 27% vs. intact controls (p ≤ 0.05).
• Displacement at maximum load (DML), displacement at collapse (DC), and stiffness (k) were not significantly different between prosthesis and control groups.
• Both groups showed similar failure patterns, with 92% failing at the femoral neck.
• All prosthetic femurs still withstood ~6.2× body weight — exceeding estimated in vivo peak loads (~1.64× BW).
• Prosthesis positioning (neutral vs valgus) had no significant effect on biomechanical outcomes.
• Implant design preserved more metaphyseal bone stock than total hip replacement, possibly explaining the smaller load reduction compared to other short-stem prostheses.
• The press-fit cobalt–chromium design with conical stem allowed full contact and stress distribution over the femoral head/neck.
• Authors conclude the device has adequate immediate biomechanical strength for clinical use, though long-term in vivo studies are needed.

🔍 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

• 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

• Augmenting FEESA with two simple interrupted crotch sutures (TCS) or simple continuous crotch suture (SCCS) significantly increased initial leakage pressure (ILP) compared to no suture or a single suture (NCS, SICS).
• SCCS had the highest ILP (47.6 mm Hg), followed by TCS (37.8 mm Hg), SICS (33.0 mm Hg), and NCS (27.1 mm Hg).
• All crotch suture types increased maximal leakage pressure (MLP) compared to no crotch suture.
• Leakage from the crotch occurred most commonly in NCS (67%) and SICS (50%), but only 8% with TCS and 0% with SCCS.
• SCCS was the only technique where leakage never occurred at the crotch site.
• SCCS had the highest MLP (100.6 mm Hg), supporting its use in clinical settings with high-risk patients.
• Intraluminal pressures during leakage in NCS constructs were sometimes below normal physiologic pressures, emphasizing risk of leakage without crotch suture.
• The transverse staple line never leaked in any group, indicating the crotch is the primary weak point.

🔍 Key Findings

Incidence of BFX lateral bolt stem breakage: 2.95% (13 dogs, 14 stems)

Implant factors:

• 13/14 were BFX lateral bolt stems (sizes #5–7)
• +9 necks used in 5/11 of 17 mm heads
• 10/14 stems undersized based on radiographs
• 10/13 dogs exceeded weight limits for implanted stem size

Malalignment:

• 10/14 had varus alignment (median 3.9°)
• 8/14 had insufficient proximodistal seating

Breakage site: Proximolateral shoulder in all cases

Revision outcomes:

• 11 revised (7 CFX, 3 larger BFX, 1 collared)
• 9/10 revised dogs regained full function
• Complications: 1 rebreakage, 1 periprosthetic fracture, 1 fixation failure

Histopathology:

• Electron microscopy showed fatigue striations and incomplete bead fusion

Conclusion: Avoid small BFX lateral bolt stems if undersized or if long necks required; use weight guidelines to prevent fatigue failure.

🔍 Key Findings

• Extreme brachycephalic breeds (EBBs) presented more acutely and at younger ages, most often with neurological signs compared to other breeds.
• Preoperative signs such as facial nerve paresis, vestibular syndrome, and Horner’s syndrome were significantly more common in EBBs.
• EBBs showed more severe imaging findings, including higher rates of otitis interna (46.3% vs. 8.5%) and brainstem changes (17.5% vs. 3%).
• Intraoperative complications were more frequent in EBBs (11.1% vs. 5.3%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .078).
• Perioperative complication rates did not differ significantly between EBBs and other breeds (23.5% vs. 29.3%).
• Surgical time was significantly longer in EBBs (median 115 vs. 95 minutes; p = .011).
• MRI or combined CT/MRI were more frequently used in EBBs, likely due to the higher prevalence of neurological signs.
• Despite anatomical challenges, complication rates in EBBs were comparable, supporting TECA-LBO safety in these breeds.