🔍 Key Findings

Synovitis was present in 100% of canine stifles with CCL disease (n = 163).

The most frequent severity score was 3/5 (55.2%), followed by 4/5 (24.5%).

Higher synovitis scores were significantly associated with:

• Higher median cartilage scores (p = .042, OR = 2.1 per unit increase)
• Longer duration of clinical signs (p < .001, OR = 1.27 per month)

Bodyweight (p = .083) and sex (p = .17) were not statistically significant in multivariable analysis.

Bucket handle meniscal tears were not associated with synovitis severity.

Clinical implication: Earlier intervention may help reduce synovitis and slow OA progression.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Primary 3.5-mm LCP used with short (SWL), medium (MWL), and long (LWL) working lengths
• Addition of orthogonal 2.7-mm LCP resulted in:
  • Significantly higher bending stiffness for SWL, MWL, and LWL (p < 0.0001)
  • Higher torsional stiffness for MWL and LWL (not for SWL)
  • Significantly lower strain across all working lengths in bending (p < 0.01)
• Working length inversely related to construct stiffness and directly to plate strain
• Orthogonal plates eliminated stiffness differences across working lengths in bending
• Suggests orthogonal plates can improve implant fatigue life and allow compensation when short working lengths are unachievable

🔍 Key Findings

Study type: Cadaveric stifle arthroscopy in large breed dogs (n=12 joints from 6 dogs)
Goal: Describe and assess the proximal lateral portal for insertion of a Ventura stifle thrust lever (VSTL)
Main results:

• No damage to the long digital extensor tendon (LDE) with this portal
• VSTL could be placed without removing the arthroscope
• Portal creation time ~37 seconds (faster than previously reported)

Cartilage impact:

• Superficial iatrogenic articular cartilage injury (IACI) present in all specimens
• No difference in IACI between 5- and 10-minute lever durations
• Zone 4 (lateral femoral condyle) had significantly more damage than zones 1–3 (p < .05)

Conclusion: Portal was safe, repeatable, minimally invasive, and did not increase cartilage damage with up to 10-minute lever use

🔍 Key Findings

• Both lateral and ventral approaches reliably permitted CCA isolation and ligation at the level of the MRLN, with or without concurrent lymphadenectomy; bilateral temporary ligation was successful in all 12 cadavers.
• The CCA was consistently dorsomedial to the MRLN, while the MRLN was medial to the caudodorsal mandibular salivary gland (MSG), providing reproducible landmarks for surgical orientation.
• Concurrent lymphadenectomy can be incorporated into the same surgical approach, permitting removal of the mandibular and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes while gaining access to the CCA.
• Brachycephalic dogs had a significantly deeper CCA from the lateral approach than the ventral approach (44.8 ± 12.8 vs 29.3 ± 8.3 mm; p = .02), which may influence approach selection.
• No gross vascular trauma occurred after temporary CCA ligation, although careful dissection was required to avoid the adjacent vagosympathetic trunk.
• One inadvertent mandibular salivary gland capsular disruption occurred during a lateral approach without lymphadenectomy; Figure 2 demonstrates this complication and the close relationship of the MRLN, CCA, and vagosympathetic trunk.
• CCA ligation was performed at the cranial two-thirds of the MRLN, caudal to the internal carotid branching, placing the operative site near the carotid sinus and raising potential concerns for bradycardia and hypotension in live patients.
• Clinical efficacy remains unproven because this was a CT/cadaveric study; the authors specifically recommend in vivo evaluation of hemorrhage control, hemodynamic effects, and procedural complications.

🔍 Key Findings

• Spaced instruction (SI) improved immediate performance on the first learned skill compared to massed instruction (MI) in both LSU and LMU cohorts.
• Cognitive load was higher in MI students at LMU, particularly in physical demand, effort, and frustration, while LSU showed no significant cognitive load differences.
• Skill performance differences disappeared after 2 weeks of supervised practice, regardless of instructional format.
• Time to complete skills improved over time, but this did not always correlate with improved checklist or global rating scores.
• Intrinsic cognitive load increased when teaching more complex or related surgical tasks in the same session.
• Initial skill complexity and prior exposure may influence effectiveness of spaced vs massed instruction.
• Supervised practice sessions are critical to eliminate initial skill disparities between instructional methods.
• Massed instruction may still be acceptable if followed by scheduled practice opportunities.

🔍 Key Findings

• Proximal BODPUOs (closer to 26–28% of ulna length) resulted in greater increases in proximal ulna tilt postoperatively (up to 18°).
• Distal osteotomies (closer to 48–49%) yielded minimal change in ulna angle.
• Strong linear relationship between osteotomy location and change in angle; correlation coefficient = 0.73.
• Initial proximal ulna angle (IPUA) influences results—angles closer to 90° yielded greater changes.
• Craniocaudal osteotomy angle had minimal impact on tilt change after adjusting for location.
• Osteotomy length had no significant effect on change in angle.
• Prediction intervals showed wide individual variation in outcomes, especially with more proximal osteotomies.
• No increase in complications was associated with more proximal osteotomies, contrary to past assumptions.

🔍 Key Findings

• Only 2 of 10 PET implants were fully intact and functional at 6 months post-op.
• Owner-reported function (LOAD scores) improved by 51.7% (p = .008) over 6 months.
• Gait asymmetry improved by 86% (p = .002) postoperatively.
• Implant failure occurred in the midbody of the PET device, suggesting fatigue as a failure mechanism.
• One dog (10%) developed implant infection, necessitating implant removal.
• Implant fixation method (screws + washers + interference screw) was mechanically adequate and technically simple.
• Partially intact implants (4/10) still showed improved clinical outcomes, despite structural compromise.
• Midbody tearing and lack of long-term integrity prohibit continued use of this PET implant in CCL repair.

🔍 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

• Chlorhexidine-based asepsis protocols were comparable to povidone-iodine for reducing surgical site infection (SSI) rates in veterinary surgery.
• No significant difference in skin bacterial colonization was observed between the two antiseptics, at both immediate and delayed timepoints.
• Chlorhexidine-alcohol protocols showed a non-significant trend toward improved bacterial reduction in some studies, though inconsistent across all studies.
• Use of neutralizing agents was inconsistent, which may have led to overestimation of antiseptic efficacy in several studies.
• Formulations and concentrations varied widely (e.g., chlorhexidine 0.5–4%, povidone-iodine 0.7–1%), contributing to heterogeneity and limiting definitive conclusions.
• Only a minority of studies reported using CDC criteria for SSI diagnosis, affecting the reliability of infection outcomes.
• Risk of bias was high or unclear in multiple domains across all included studies, limiting overall confidence in conclusions.
• Meta-analysis confirmed no statistically significant superiority of either protocol for SSI prevention or skin bacterial reduction.

🔍 Key Findings

• Short working length constructs had significantly higher stiffness and lower strain than long constructs in compression bending (p = 0.0172).
• In tension bending, short constructs also had higher precontact stiffness and lower strain, but this reversed after transcortical contact (~150 N).
• Transcortical contact increased stiffness only in long constructs, producing a bilinear load-displacement curve.
• Postcontact stiffness was higher in long constructs, but this may not reflect clinical benefit due to risks of high interfragmentary strain.
• Short working length reduced strain at multiple ROIs under both loading conditions, including over fracture gap (Tables 1–3).
• Increased working length promoted stress concentration and deformation, especially in compression bending.
• In vitro benefits of long constructs (via contact stability) may not translate to healing, as repetitive loading could increase plate strain and bone resorption.
• Plate strain was effectively mapped using 3D digital image correlation, confirming regional strain differences between configurations.