
Quiz Question
In Dickerson 2023 et al., on surgical outcomes in hepatic abscessation, what was the most commonly identified bacterial isolate?
🔍 Key Findings
- Liver lobectomy was the most common treatment (27/36 dogs), with multiple lobes removed in ~1/3 of cases.
- Septic peritonitis was present in 21/23 sampled dogs, making it a frequent complication.
- Perioperative complications occurred in 21/36 dogs, including aspiration pneumonia, pancreatitis, and acute kidney injury.
- Intraoperative hypotension was common (32/36), often requiring vasopressors or colloids.
- Mortality prior to discharge was 21% (8/38), with deaths related to sepsis, aspiration pneumonia, and multi-organ dysfunction.
- Median survival time was 638 days in dogs surviving to discharge.
- No recurrence of hepatic abscessation was observed in the surviving population.
- E. coli and Clostridium spp. were the most commonly cultured organisms, often as single-agent infections.
Veterinary Surgery
1
2023
Outcome in 38 dogs surgically treated for hepatic abscessation
2023-1-VS-dickerson-2
In Miller 2024 et al., on surgical comparison of staphylectomy vs. FFP, which of the following was true regarding anesthetic complications?
🔍 Key Findings
- FFP resulted in longer median surgery (75 min) and anesthesia (111 min) durations than S (51 min and 80 min, respectively).
- No significant difference in anesthetic complications, regurgitation, aspiration pneumonia, or hospitalization time between S and FFP.
- Major complications were rare (4%) and equally distributed between procedures; included tracheostomy and euthanasia due to severe airway disease.
- Postoperative oxygen use was common (52% of dogs) but not significantly different between procedures.
- FFP dogs more often had laryngeal collapse (especially Grade 1: 68% vs. 32% in S dogs).
- Most dogs (85%) had concurrent nares surgery, with caudal wedge resection more frequent in FFP dogs.
- Few dogs needed revision soft palate surgery (7/124 total); similar between groups.
- Postoperative clinical signs improved across both procedures; regurgitation was the most persistent sign post-op.
Veterinary Surgery
8
2024
Complications and outcome following staphylectomy and folded flap palatoplasty in dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome
2024-8-VS-miller-3
In You 2025 et al., on barbed sutures for lung lobectomy, what was the observed leakage rate at physiological airway pressure (<20 cmH₂O)?
🔍 Key Findings
- Barbed sutures showed comparable leakage pressure to traditional sutures and stapling devices (p = .36).
- No bronchial leaks occurred at physiological pressure (<20 cmH₂O) in any group.
- Leakage at supraphysiologic pressure (20–80 cmH₂O) occurred in 90% of stapler, 80% of traditional, and 60% of barbed suture closures.
- Barbed sutures reduced ligation time significantly compared to traditional sutures (10.7 vs. 14.1 minutes, p < .01).
- Staplers remained fastest, with mean ligation time of 2.4 minutes.
- No knot failure or suture breakage was observed in barbed or traditional suture groups.
- Leakage in barbed sutures occurred mostly at the loop effector zone, but remained within acceptable limits.
- Barbed sutures may offer an effective alternative when staplers are unavailable, impractical, or cost-prohibitive.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2025
Evaluation of a knotless barbed suture for canine total lung lobectomy: An ex vivo study
2025-7-VS-you-1
In Burkhardt 2024 et al., on coagulation testing in liver lobectomy, which liver tumor type was significantly associated with both PT and aPTT prolongation?
🔍 Key Findings
- 20.6% of dogs had a preoperative prolongation in PT or aPTT, but only 5.6% had both prolonged.
- Hemangiosarcoma was the only tumor type significantly associated with both PT and aPTT prolongation (37.5% of hemangiosarcoma cases, p < .001).
- Dogs with both PT and aPTT prolongations were 6.5× more likely to have emergency surgery (p < .001) and 2.5× more likely to have hemoabdomen (p = .0022).
- 60% of dogs with both PT and aPTT prolongation required blood transfusion (p < .001).
- Only 1.9% of all dogs had both PT and aPTT prolonged by >25%, suggesting limited clinical utility of routine PT/aPTT testing.
- Platelet count <50,000/μL was rare (1.5%) and not associated with PT/aPTT changes or transfusions.
- Routine PT/aPTT testing offers low diagnostic yield in elective liver lobectomy cases.
- Authors recommend case-by-case PT/aPTT screening, especially when hemangiosarcoma or bleeding tendencies are suspected.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2024
Evaluating preoperative coagulation panels in dogs undergoing liver lobectomy for primary liver tumors: A multi-institutional retrospective study
2024-7-VS-burkhardt-2
In Hertel 2025 et al., on portal venotomy for insulinoma, what was the primary reason the authors selected portal venotomy instead of en bloc vessel resection?
🔍 Key Findings
- Portal venotomy enabled successful en bloc resection of a pancreatic insulinoma and associated thrombus in the portal vein, a novel approach in veterinary literature.
- Temporary portal vein occlusion (15 min) was well tolerated, causing only transient small intestinal congestion without lasting hemodynamic compromise.
- No intraoperative hemorrhage occurred following vascular isolation and venotomy repair with 5–0 polypropylene in a simple continuous pattern.
- Postoperative complications were minimal, with only moderate pancreatitis managed medically and no portal hypertension observed on follow-up imaging.
- Histopathology confirmed insulinoma, with no initial metastasis; CT at 6 months revealed hepatic and peritoneal metastases but no local recurrence at the venotomy site.
- Portal vein luminal stenosis occurred post-repair but was clinically insignificant.
- Advanced CT imaging and 3D printed modeling significantly enhanced surgical planning and anatomical assessment.
- Surgical excision achieved good short-term outcomes, and the dog was alive and euglycemic one year later despite metastatic disease.
Veterinary Surgery
5
2025
Successful venotomy for portal tumor thrombus removal due to pancreatic carcinoma in a dog
2025-5-VS-hertel-1
In Kuvaldina 2023 et al., in Minimally invasive axillary lymphadenectomy in dogs, which of the following best describes postoperative morbidity in the 3 clinical patients?
🔍 Key Findings
- A minimally invasive endoscopic technique was successfully developed for excisional biopsy of axillary lymph nodes in dogs.
- The procedure was performed on 4 cadavers (6 limbs) and 3 clinical patients, with no major complications reported.
- Mean cadaveric time: accessory axillary node 5.1 min; axillary node 33 min. One limb had a double axillary node.
- In clinical cases, 2/3 were completed endoscopically; one required conversion to open due to node elevation difficulty.
- Surgical times in clinical cases ranged from 35 to 58 minutes, depending on node accessibility and number.
- Postoperative morbidity was minimal: no lymphedema, minor seroma or lameness resolved quickly.
- The SILS port approach enabled effective access, though precise placement was critical to visualization.
- This is the first reported veterinary endoscopic technique for axillary lymphadenectomy; potential for improved staging and reduced morbidity.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2023
Development of a minimally invasive endoscopic technique for excisional biopsy of the axillary lymph nodes in dogs
2023-7-VS-kuvaldina-4
In Larose 2024 et al., on fluorescence cholangiography, which statement best describes ICG safety profile in this study?
🔍 Key Findings
- Near-infrared fluorescence cholangiography (NIRFC) was feasible and safe in all healthy dogs studied, with no major adverse effects noted.
- Low-dose ICG (0.05 mg/kg) at 3 h pre-op achieved the highest target-to-background (cystic duct-to-liver) contrast ratio, reaching nearly 4:1 at 280 minutes.
- Early imaging (time 0) favored low-dose ICG for optimal cystic duct visualization; high-dose ICG led to excessive liver fluorescence and reduced contrast.
- Visualization of biliary tree occurred within 10–20 min post-injection regardless of dose, but longer delays improved background clearance and contrast.
- No significant cardiovascular or histamine-related side effects were observed with either dose of ICG.
- Repeated ICG injections showed minimal residual fluorescence when using a >72 h washout period; shorter intervals caused mild carryover in high-dose groups.
- Surgeon scoring matched contrast ratios, confirming clinical relevance of imaging outcomes.
- Recommended dose for laparoscopic imaging: 0.05 mg/kg ICG given 3–5 h before surgery, or at premedication for urgent cases.
Veterinary Surgery
4
2024
Near-infrared fluorescence cholangiography in dogs: A pilot study
2024-4-VS-larose2-2
In Rocheleau 2025 et al., on infected total hip replacements, which factor most influenced success of arthroscopic curative treatment?
🔍 Key Findings
Study Design: Case series of 8 dogs with confirmed or suspected PJI after total hip replacement (THR)
Dogs were categorized into:
- Curative intent (CI) group (n=5): short-duration infections, implant retention attempted
- Non-curative intent (NCI) group (n=3): chronic infections, implants scheduled for removal or revision
Success Rate: 7 of 8 dogs had infection resolution, including 4 of 5 in the CI group
Sampling sensitivity:
- Arthroscopic culture success was 80% in the CI group but only 33% in the NCI group
- All explanted implants from NCI group yielded positive cultures
Common isolates: Staphylococcus pseudointermedius (including MRSP), S. epidermidis, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and E. coli
Ancillary treatments included:
- Partial synovectomy, high-volume lavage (5–10 L), biofilm-depleting lavage, and/or amikacin-impregnated calcium sulfate beads
Mean follow-up: >1 year (mean 812 days); no signs of recurrence in successfully treated cases
Conclusions: Arthroscopic management of THR infections is feasible and effective in appropriately selected dogs. Success aligns with human literature when infection type is favorable (Type 1, 3, 4). Sensitivity of arthroscopic culture is higher in early/acute infections.
Veterinary Surgery
4
2025
Arthroscopic sampling, diagnosis and treatment of infected total hip replacements in dogs: Eight cases
2025-4-VS-rocheleau-5
In You 2025 et al., on barbed sutures for lung lobectomy, what was the most common site of air leakage in the barbed suture group?
🔍 Key Findings
- Barbed sutures showed comparable leakage pressure to traditional sutures and stapling devices (p = .36).
- No bronchial leaks occurred at physiological pressure (<20 cmH₂O) in any group.
- Leakage at supraphysiologic pressure (20–80 cmH₂O) occurred in 90% of stapler, 80% of traditional, and 60% of barbed suture closures.
- Barbed sutures reduced ligation time significantly compared to traditional sutures (10.7 vs. 14.1 minutes, p < .01).
- Staplers remained fastest, with mean ligation time of 2.4 minutes.
- No knot failure or suture breakage was observed in barbed or traditional suture groups.
- Leakage in barbed sutures occurred mostly at the loop effector zone, but remained within acceptable limits.
- Barbed sutures may offer an effective alternative when staplers are unavailable, impractical, or cost-prohibitive.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2025
Evaluation of a knotless barbed suture for canine total lung lobectomy: An ex vivo study
2025-7-VS-you-3
In Alvarez-Sanchez 2023 et al., on SLN mapping in canine MCT, what was the histologic metastasis rate (HN2 or HN3) in excised lymph nodes?
🔍 Key Findings
- Combined ICTL and NIRF detected the same SLN in 80% of cases; each method alone missed sentinel lymph nodes in some dogs.
- ICLT failed in 5% of dogs, while NIRF failed in 20%; combined use resulted in only 5% failure in SLN detection.
- Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 95% of dogs, despite most tumors being low or intermediate grade (95%).
- 27 of 41 nodes (65.8%) were histologically metastatic (HN2 or HN3), many of which would have been missed using ALN alone.
- ALN matched the SLN in only 45% of cases with ICTL and 30% with NIRF, supporting the need for SLN mapping.
- ICLT and NIRF were complementary, often identifying different SLN, with some only fluorescent or enhanced in one modality.
- Subcutaneous MCT had higher metastatic rates (7/8 dogs) than previously reported, challenging older assumptions about benign behavior.
- Removing both ALN and SLN (from both methods) improved detection of metastasis to 85–95%, reducing risk of understaging.
Veterinary Surgery
3
2023
Comparison of indirect computed tomographic lymphography and near-infrared fluorescence sentinel lymph node mapping for integumentary canine mast cell tumors
2023-3-VS-alvarez-sanchez-4
Quiz Results
You answered 7 out of 10 questions correctly
Key Findings
