🔍 Key Findings

• Locked facet injuries in dogs involved unilateral dorsal displacement of the cranial articular process of the caudal vertebra, most commonly at C5/6 or C6/7.
• All affected dogs were small/toy breeds, typically following trauma (most often attacks by larger dogs).
• Neurologic severity ranged from ambulatory tetraparesis to tetraplegia, often with thoracic limb deficits more severe than pelvic limbs — suggesting a central cord syndrome-like pattern.
• CT and MRI revealed axial rotation, subluxation, and articular process displacement; MRI showed T2 hyperintensity, nerve root impingement, and soft tissue changes.
• Surgical treatment included ventral fixation with screws, pins, and PMMA, and one case required dorsal facetectomy for reduction.
• Medical management, including external coaptation or rest, also resulted in functional recovery in select cases.
• All dogs with follow-up data (8/8) had functional recovery, with nonambulatory dogs regaining ambulation in a median of 4 weeks.
• No consistent differences in outcome were observed between surgical and nonsurgical management, suggesting locked facets may be biomechanically stable.

🔍 Key Findings

• 12-hole LCPs (80% plate–bone ratio) showed significantly higher construct stiffness than 6-, 8-, or 10-hole plates in both compression and tension bending.
• Strain on the plate was significantly lower in 12-hole vs 6-hole plates at all regions of interest (ROIs), especially around the fracture gap.
• No incremental increases in stiffness or decreases in strain were observed between 6-, 8-, and 10-hole plates—only when comparing to 12-hole plates.
• Bone model strain adjacent to the plate end was significantly lower for 10- and 12-hole plates vs 6-hole plates under both loading conditions.
• The threshold effect suggests biomechanical benefits only emerge beyond a plate–bone ratio of ~80%.
• Working length increased from 9.4 mm (6-hole) to 13 mm (others), potentially influencing strain/stiffness differences.
• Four-point bending was used, as it replicates the most biomechanically relevant force on plated long bones.
• Clinical implication: Longer plates may reduce plate strain and peri-implant bone strain, potentially lowering risk of fatigue failure or stress risers.

🔍 Key Findings

• 20 dogs (26 shoulders) evaluated at mean 3.5 years post-surgery after arthroscopic or open debridement.
• Ipsilateral muscle atrophy and decreased range of motion (↓ extension, ↓ flexion) in affected limbs compared to contralateral healthy shoulders.
• All treated shoulders developed osteoarthritis, confirmed radiographically, by CT, and arthroscopically.
• Moderate to severe synovitis was present in all shoulders; lesions showed patchy, incomplete cartilage infilling even up to 8.9 years post-op.
• Kinetic gait analysis showed no significant differences in PVF/VI between affected and unaffected limbs, despite mild lameness clinically.
• Owners reported good to very good mobility (median LOAD = 6), often underestimating clinical lameness.
• CT detected larger lesion dimensions than radiographs (wider, deeper defects).
• Despite progression of OA, surgical debridement was associated with satisfactory long-term function, though not prevention of degenerative changes.

🔍 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

From Allaith et al., 2023 – Outcomes from a multiuser canine hip replacement registry

• 2375 total hip replacements were analyzed across 1852 dogs, making this the largest multiuser canine THR dataset to date.
• Most common indications for THR were hip dysplasia (51%) and osteoarthritis (34%).
• Implants used included Kyon (46%), BioMedtrix CFX (22%), Hybrid (11%), BFX (9%), and Helica (4.5%).
• Veterinary-reported complication rate was 8.5%, while owner-reported was 23%, with moderate agreement (k=0.44).
• Most common complications: Luxation, femoral fracture, and aseptic loosening.
• BioMedtrix BFX and Helica implants had a higher risk of complications when used after femoral head and neck excision (P = .031).
• Postoperative LOAD scores significantly improved vs preoperative (21 → 11; P < .0001), supporting improved mobility.
• Owner satisfaction was high, with 88% rating outcome as very good or good.

🔍 Key Findings

• Cholelithiasis was the most common indication for cholecystectomy in cats.
• Perioperative complications were frequent, with intraoperative hypotension in all recorded cases and postoperative anemia in 14 cats.
• Perioperative mortality was 21.7%, lower than historical rates for feline biliary surgery.
• 78.3% of cats survived to discharge, and 83.3% of those lived >6 months; 44.4% survived >3 years.
• Vomiting was the most common short- and long-term complication, though most cats were medically managed.
• Concurrent EHBDO was not a contraindication provided CBD patency was restored.
• Positive bacterial cultures were found in 15 cats, with E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis most common.
• Owner-reported outcomes were excellent in all cats that survived long-term.

🔍 Key Findings

• Prestretching (PS) at 10 mmHg for 3 minutes significantly increased working space at 6 mmHg IAP — IWL +4.4%, IWS +6.9%.
• PS provided ≈63% of the IWL and ≈66% of the IWS gains achieved with sustained 10 mmHg IAP.
• All laparoscopic procedures were completed at 6 mmHg after PS; no conversions or pressure increases were needed.
• Working space benefits persisted throughout surgery — end-of-procedure measurements were unchanged from post-PS baseline.
• Transverse expansion (RLAT/LLAT) was greater than sagittal (CRA/CAU), consistent with adult abdominal wall compliance.
• No adverse anesthetic events occurred; mild complications (e.g., gas leakage) were easily managed.
• Large breed dogs were overrepresented, but all dogs served as their own controls, normalizing size effects.
• Prestretching is a simple, effective technique to maximize working space without increasing insufflation pressure.

🔍 Key Findings

• Combined transpatellar + suprapatellar TBW technique yielded higher yield, peak, and failure loads than either technique alone.
• Construct stiffness was significantly higher in the combined group (61.2 N/mm) vs transpatellar (46.8 N/mm) and suprapatellar (28.5 N/mm).
• Lower incidence of gap formation in the combined group: only 22% had 1 mm gap vs 61% (transpatellar) and 39% (suprapatellar).
• Load to 3 mm gap was significantly higher in the combined group (p = .036), suggesting superior early repair site stability.
• Failure modes varied: suprapatellar most often failed via wire unraveling (67%), transpatellar via suture pull-through (67%); combined group had lower incidence of both.
• Patella fractures were observed only in the combined group (11%), likely due to transosseous tunnel stress.
• Wire unraveling was a predominant failure mode in suprapatellar (67%) and combined (39%) groups, but core suture pull-through was more common in the transpatellar group (67%); failure occurred by unraveling, not cyclic breakage.
• Study supports TBW augmentation to reduce load on primary repair and improve biomechanical durability of patellar tendon repairs.

🔍 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

• Combined intramedullary (IM) pin and rhBMP-2 use resulted in a low complication rate (7.4%) after proximal ulnar osteotomy (PUO).
• Major complications occurred in 5.3% of cases (4 infections, 1 pin breakage with ulnar tilt requiring revision).
• Minor complications occurred in 2.1% of cases (seroma, delayed union).
• No cases of non-union were observed; 98.9% of limbs achieved radiographic healing by 6 weeks.
• IM pin breakage was noted in 11.8% of limbs but did not affect healing outcomes.
• Chondrodystrophic breeds made up 64.8% of the cohort and tolerated the procedure well.
• Compared to prior studies, complication rates were substantially reduced with this technique (prior major: 13.9%; this study: 5.3%).
• The use of rhBMP-2 likely enhanced early bone healing and provided biologic support, particularly important in breeds at higher risk of complications.