🔍 Key Findings

• Cystoscopic-guided laser ablation (CLA) was associated with significantly fewer minor complications (13%) than neoureterostomy (100%) (P < .01)
• CLA resulted in significantly fewer recurrences of incontinence compared to neoureterostomy (0/7 vs 5/12; P < .05)
• 80% of dogs achieved continence within 1 month postoperatively, with a median continence score of 10
• Long-term continence was achieved in 88% of dogs, with or without adjunctive treatment, over a median of 66 months
• Major complications occurred in only 8% of dogs, and all were successfully managed with surgical revision
• Persistent ureteral remnants were seen only in neoureterostomy dogs, potentially contributing to incontinence recurrence
• All dogs with incontinence recurrence responded to medical treatment, while only 1/5 with persistent incontinence after surgery did
• CLA is recommended over open surgery for iEU correction, due to lower complication and recurrence rates

🔍 Key Findings

• m-TTT yielded a low overall major complication rate (4.3%) and minor complication rate of 15%, consistent with or better than previous techniques.
• Patellar reluxation occurred in only 4.3% of stifles, with high-grade reluxation seen in just 0.6% of cases—lower than the 12.4–21% range reported for other techniques.
• Implant migration rate was 3.7%, lower than previously reported for smooth pin fixation (7.7–24.6%).
• Use of a tension band with single Steinmann and Kirschner wire reduced stress risers and fixation failure, supporting better stability.
• Tibial tuberosity fracture occurred in only 1.3% of cases, lower than the 1–6% seen in other reports.
• All long-term major complications (1.3%) were related to pin migration, but were easily resolved.
• Radiographic follow-up confirmed complete bone healing in all examined cases, even up to 9 years postoperatively.
• Owner satisfaction was 100%, and 95% rated quality of life as good to excellent based on CBPI surveys.

🔍 Key Findings

• Dorsal scrotal arteries, branching from the ventral perineal arteries, are the dominant arterial supply to the scrotum in dogs.
• The ventral scrotal arteries, arising from the external pudendal arteries, perfused only the cranial scrotal border and were inconsistently present or absent in some dogs.
• A scrotal flap based on the dorsal scrotal arteries showed strong perfusion and may be a viable axial pattern flap.
• Perfusion was consistent across fresh and frozen cadavers, showing no difference due to preservation method.
• Poor flap survival (27%) occurred when based on cranial supply alone (i.e., ventral scrotal arteries), confirming importance of preserving caudal supply.
• There are anastomoses between dorsal and ventral scrotal arteries, offering collateral flow but insufficient alone for complete perfusion.
• Scrotal flaps based on the caudal pedicle may be applicable for reconstruction of proximal medial/lateral thigh wounds.
• Proposed flap requires careful preservation of ventral perineal arteries, ideally designed 2.5–3 cm lateral to midline in large dogs.

🔍 Key Findings

• A linear relationship was observed between wedge angle and tibial plateau angle (TPA) correction across all four CCWO techniques.
• All techniques produced predictable TPA corrections using linear regression-derived equations, allowing wedge angle extrapolation to achieve a target postoperative TPA of 5°.
• TLA shift (tibial long axis) increased with wedge angle and influenced final TPA; greatest in Frederick & Cross method.
• Tibial shortening (mTL%) varied by technique, being most severe (up to 40.9%) in traditional Slocum & Devine CCWO and least in newer techniques (7.5–12%).
• The Oxley mCCWO technique showed lower TLA shift compared to the Frederick & Cross and Christ techniques, though similar to Slocum & Devine; tibial shortening was more pronounced than other modified techniques at wedge angles ≤40°.
• Techniques varied in craniocaudal translation and wedge apex positioning, influencing planning accuracy and mechanical axis alignment.
• The corrective wedge angle equations reliably predicted TPA within 4–6° across varied tibial conformations.
• The study supports equation-based planning over static TPA–5° subtraction to reduce risk of under- or over-correction.

🔍 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

• This anatomical study mapped fascial planes of the canine hindlimb and pelvis to aid superficial tumor resection.
• Type I fascia (discrete sheets) was suitable for deep margins in fascia lata, lateral crus, and gluteal regions.
• Areas with poor or absent fascia included the ischiorectal fossa, femoral triangle, stifle extensor mechanism, and pes.
• Type IV fascia associated with periosteum (e.g., patella, tibial tuberosity) required partial ostectomy for inclusion in surgical margins.
• Nerves at risk during deep dissection included obturator, superficial peroneal, and tibial nerves, particularly in regions with weak fascia.
• In males, bulbospongiosus muscle could act as a fascial plane but dissection was challenging and potentially hemorrhagic.
• In females, constrictor vulvae/vestibulae muscles were tightly associated with mucosa, limiting clean resection options.
• Distal hindlimb resections often lacked a usable fascial plane, suggesting that amputation or adjuvant therapy may be more appropriate.

🔍 Key Findings

• Quadriceps muscle length/femoral length ratio (QML/FL) was significantly lower in dogs with grade IV MPL than grades I–III (p ≤ .002).
• Shortened QML was associated with increased femoral torsion angle (FTA) and increased aLDFA, indicating correlation with femoral deformity.
• QML/FL increased with age, possibly due to muscular development or reduced deformity in older dogs (p = .004).
• Grade IV MPL dogs had QML/FL < 0.87, the lower normal limit based on healthy beagles, suggesting clinically significant muscle shortening.
• PLL/PL ratio (used to diagnose patella alta) was not associated with QML/FL or MPL severity in small breeds.
• QML/FL can help preoperatively identify candidates for femoral shortening ostectomy, improving femoropatellar alignment.
• Multivariate regression model confirmed QML/FL is independently influenced by age, FTA, and aLDFA (R² = 0.45).
• CT-based 3D measurements enabled objective, noninvasive quantification of femoral and muscle alignment parameters.

🔍 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.

🔍 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 Summary

• Normative ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI T2* values were established for:
  • Patellar ligament (PL): T2*L = 4.65 ms
  • Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL): T2*L = 5.99 ms
  • Caudal cruciate ligament (CdCL): T2*L = 7.06 ms
• Statistically significant differences in T2*L values were found between:
  • PL vs. CrCL (p = 0.03)
  • PL vs. CdCL (p = 0.0097)
  • CrCL vs. CdCL (p = 0.03)
• No significant differences in short T2* (T2*S) values across ligaments.
• Study highlights potential of UTE MRI to detect early ligament changes even without physical instability.
• May guide early diagnosis in partial CrCL rupture where standard MRI is limited.