Quiz Question
In Dalton 2023 et al., on acetabular fracture repair, what was the maximum fracture gap observed postoperatively in the cadaver study?
🔍 Key Findings
- Minimally invasive repair of acetabular fractures using precontoured plates on 3D-printed models is feasible and technically reproducible in dogs.
- All cadavers had fracture gaps <2 mm and step defects <1 mm, indicating accurate reduction.
- Sciatic nerve injury was minimal or absent in all cases, supporting potential neuroprotection from indirect approaches.
- Pelvic angulation was maintained <5°, confirming preservation of alignment post-reduction.
- Surgical time averaged ~46 minutes in cadavers for both approaches and repair.
- Clinical case showed good radiographic healing by 8 weeks and full union by 3 months, with early weight-bearing post-op.
- Use of locking screws improved reduction fidelity, particularly across a broad plate span.
- 3D printing accelerated surgical planning, though its necessity remains debated due to the availability and cost concerns.
Veterinary Surgery
6
2023
Minimally invasive repair of acetabular fractures in dogs: Ex vivo feasibility study and case report
2023-6-vs-dalton-3
In Rigo 2026 et al., on feline pedicle screws, what surgical advantage is proposed when using pedicle screws with dorsal PMMA application in cats?
🔍 Key Findings
- Pedicle screw placement in feline thoracolumbar vertebrae using patient-specific 3D-printed drill guides was highly accurate, with a mean deviation from planned trajectory of 0.61° ± 0.72.
- Overall pedicle containment rate was 93% (grade 0), with only 5.5% minor breaches (<0.5 mm) and 1.5% moderate breaches (0.5–1 mm).
- Thoracic vertebrae demonstrated perfect safety (48/48 grade 0), whereas all breaches occurred in the lumbar vertebrae (p = 0.02).
- All pedicle breaches were lateral, and no medial breaches or spinal canal violations occurred in the study.
- Accuracy did not differ between breeds (Maine Coon vs mixed-breed) or sides (left vs right), suggesting consistent guide performance across anatomical variations.
- 3D-printed drill guides allowed minimal surgical exposure, requiring access only to the dorsal lamina rather than lateral vertebral surfaces.
- Pedicle screw constructs may facilitate dorsal PMMA application, enabling easier cement placement and bilateral incorporation of screw heads.
- A clinical proof-of-concept case (T12 fracture) treated with pedicle screws and dorsal PMMA stabilization showed accurate implant placement without perioperative complications.
Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology
2
2026
Feasibility and Accuracy of Pedicle Screws in the Feline Thoracolumbar Spine
2026-2-vcot-rigo-5
In Scortea 2025 et al., on sacroiliac fixation accuracy, what was the most common direction of screw deviation for both techniques?
🔍 Key Findings
- 3D-printed drill guide technique (3D-DGT) resulted in fewer suboptimal screw placements than minimally invasive osteosynthesis (MIO) (7.14% vs 42.85%), though not statistically significant.
- Entry point translation (EPT) in the dorsoventral direction was significantly lower with 3D-DGT compared with MIO (p = .009).
- Maximum angular screw deviation (MASD) did not differ significantly between 3D-DGT and MIO in dorsal or transverse planes.
- Ventral cortical breach was the most common error with both techniques, more frequent with MIO.
- Achievement of >60% sacral bone purchase was more consistent with 3D-DGT (92.9%) than with MIO (64.3%).
- Modified Gras grade distribution was similar between techniques, with most screws graded as secure (“a” or “b”).
- 3D-DGT required substantially longer preoperative planning time than MIO (median 34 vs 8.5 minutes).
- Both techniques demonstrated overall acceptable accuracy, emphasizing the importance of CT-based planning and assessment.
Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology
6
2025
Comparative analysis of 3D-printed drill guides and minimally invasive osteosynthesis in feline sacroiliac luxation: A cadaveric study
2025-6-vcot-scortea-3
In Van Den Brink 2026 et al., on lumbosacral fusion, what was the authors' primary conclusion regarding treatment selection?
🔍 Key Findings
- Long-term functional outcome was similar between treatments, with complete recovery in 63.6% of stand-alone cage dogs and 64.7% of cage + PSRF dogs.
- Minor complications were substantially more common with stand-alone cages (10/11 dogs) than with cage + PSRF (6/17 dogs).
- Major complications occurred in both groups, including cage migration, implant failure, relapse of clinical signs, and euthanasia.
- Cage subsidence was more frequent with stand-alone cages (75%) than cage + PSRF (33%).
- Fusion through the intervertebral cage was observed more consistently with PSRF, occurring in 4/4 CT-evaluated dogs versus 1/4 stand-alone cage dogs.
- Histologic assessment confirmed successful bone bridging and fusion in the PSRF case, whereas the stand-alone cage specimen demonstrated fibrous tissue predominance and subsidence.
- Positive bacterial cultures were identified in 6/28 dogs, but no dog developed clinically significant postoperative discospondylitis.
- The authors concluded that both approaches are clinically viable, but cage + PSRF may be preferable due to reduced subsidence and improved fusion potential.
Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology
3
2026
Comparison of Stand-Alone Cage versus Intervertebral Cage with Pedicle Screw and Rod Fixation in Dogs with Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis
2026-3-vcot-van-den-brink-5
In Perez Neto 2025 et al., on hip resurfacing arthroplasty, what was the most common site of failure in both groups?
🔍 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.
Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology
4
2025
Biomechanical Evaluation of a Femoral Implant for Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty in Dogs: An Ex Vivo Study
2025-4-VCOT-perezneto-3
In Dalton 2023 et al., In Minimally invasive acetabular fracture repair in dogs, what was the clinical outcome of the Chihuahua case treated with minimally invasive acetabular repair?
🔍 Key Findings
- Feasibility study in 5 canine cadavers plus 1 clinical case (Chihuahua, 5.5 kg).
- Technique used two small approaches (caudal and craniolateral) connected with an epiperiosteal tunnel.
- Plates were precontoured on mirrored 3D-printed hemipelves to improve fit and reduce intraoperative bending.
- Cadaver outcomes: fracture gap <2 mm, step defect <1 mm, pelvic angulation <5°.
- Sciatic nerve injury was minimal: 1/5 cadavers had a mild indentation; others had no gross injury.
- Median total surgical time: ~46 minutes in cadavers; incisions ~5 cm.
- Clinical Chihuahua case: weight-bearing within 24 hrs, radiographic union at 3 months; one screw fractured but no adverse effect.
- Authors conclude: MIAF with 3D printing is feasible and accurate, but requires further evaluation before routine use.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2023
Minimally invasive repair of acetabular fractures in dogs: Ex vivo feasibility study and case report
2023-7-VS-dalton-5
In Fitzpatrick 2024 et al., on ESF for pelvic fractures in cats, what was concluded regarding neurological complications?
🔍 Key Findings
- External skeletal fixation (ESF) was successfully applied to a variety of pelvic fracture types in cats, including sacroiliac luxations and ilial body fractures.
- All fractures achieved radiographic union within 9 weeks, even in comminuted or complex configurations.
- No intraoperative or long-term complications were reported during the study period.
- Implant loosening was observed radiographically in 13% of cases, with 8% of pins found to be loose at frame removal.
- ESF enabled indirect fracture reduction using components as handles, with a limited open approach minimizing soft tissue disruption.
- No iatrogenic neurological deficits were observed, supporting safe pin placement near neurovascular structures, although some cats presented with pre-existing neurologic signs.
- No cases required revision surgery, and all cats underwent stabilization solely with ESF as per study inclusion criteria.
- Postoperative hospitalization ranged from 2 to 5 days, though no comparison to other fixation types was evaluated.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2024
External skeletal fixation for the treatment of pelvic fractures in cats
2024-7-VS-fitzpatrick-3
In Guevara 2024 et al., on implant placement accuracy, what was the rate of acceptable pin placement using 3D-printed guides?
🔍 Key Findings:
- Sample: 24 canine cadavers, 477 total pins across 240 vertebrae.
- Technique Comparison: 3D printed guides (3DPG) vs freehand (FH).
- Acceptable Placement Rates: 3DPG = 87.5%, FH = 69.8% (p < .0001).
- Odds Ratio for FH: 0.28 (95% CI 0.16–0.47), significantly less likely to yield acceptable placement.
- Worst Accuracy Locations: T10 (OR 0.10), T11 (OR 0.35).
- Surgeon Impact: Surgeon 2 outperformed others (OR 9.61, p = .001).
- Modified Zdichavsky Classification used to score implant accuracy (Grades I–IIIb).
- Primary Benefit of 3DPG: Increased safety and precision, regardless of surgeon experience.
Veterinary Surgery
2
2024
Ex vivo comparison of pin placement with patient-specific drill guides or freehand technique in canine cadaveric spines
2024-2-VS-guevara-1
In Wolfe 2025 et al., on endoscopic corpectomy feasibility, at which spinal levels was the technique successfully performed?
🔍 Key Findings
- Integrated endoscopic mini-hemilaminectomy and lateral corpectomy was feasible at all targeted sites from T11–12 through L3–4.
- Target corpectomy dimensions were achieved or exceeded at every included intervertebral disc space.
- Median corpectomy dimensions were ~23% vertebral body length, ~47% body height, and ~74% vertebral canal diameter.
- Thoracic sites required a steeper learning curve, with early failures related to cannula positioning rather than drilling limitations.
- Angled positioning (30°–60° away from the surgeon) subjectively improved drill trajectory and facilitated horizontal corpectomy access.
- No rib head resection or rhizotomy was required to achieve target dimensions using the endoscopic system.
- Excellent visualization of nerve roots and spinal cord was achieved through the 23-mm endoscopic cannula.
- Incorrect intervertebral disc localization was the most common technical error, highlighting the value of intraoperative fluoroscopy.
Veterinary Surgery
8
2025
Integrated endoscopic thoracolumbar mini-hemilaminectomy and lateral corpectomy in cadaver dogs
2025-8-vs-wolfe-1
In Hanlon 2022 et al., on short screw sacroiliac fixation, what was the difference in mechanical performance between short lag and short positional screws?
🔍 Key Findings
- Two short screws (SLS or SPS) provided >2× peak load, yield load, and stiffness vs a single long screw (LLS) for SI joint stabilization.
- No mechanical advantage was seen between the two short screw types (lag vs positional).
- All short screws terminated lateral to the spinal canal, avoiding spinal impingement.
- Ventral sacral foraminal impingement occurred in 3 short-screw cases (1 SPS, 2 SLS), all involving the caudal screw.
- LLS group showed more abaxial displacement at osteotomy sites, suggesting inferior stabilization for concurrent pelvic fractures.
- Short screw constructs had longer total screw length (48 mm) than LLS (40 mm), contributing to increased stiffness.
- Positioning of caudal screw in a cranial/craniodorsal trajectory may help avoid nerve foraminal injury.
- No significant difference in displacement at peak load among groups; stiffness and load capacity were the primary benefits.
Veterinary Surgery
7
2022
Mechanical evaluation of canine sacroiliac joint stabilization using two short screws
2022-7-VS-hanlon-2
Quiz Results
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Key Findings