🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 48 dogs (60 stifles) underwent custom 3D-printed TRP implantation for patellar luxation
• 24 treated with TRP alone; 36 with additional procedures (e.g., DFO, TTT)
• Success rate: 59/60 corrected patellar tracking
• Functional outcome: 57/60 full function, 2 acceptable, 1 unacceptable
• Complication rate: 3 total (2 minor, 1 major recurrence)
• TRP spares cartilage unlike trochleoplasty, offering implant-based ridge augmentation
• No implant loosening or infection observed

🔍 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.

🔍 Key Findings

• Bone-to-tendon plate fixation allowed successful stabilization of a highly comminuted calcaneus fracture in a dog with fragments too small for traditional fixation.
• The plate was sutured to the common calcaneal tendon using a figure-of-8 pattern, bypassing the need for screw fixation into small proximal fragments.
• Radiographic union was achieved by 17 weeks, though considered delayed, with the dog returning to normal function by 36 weeks post-op.
• A second surgery was required to replace the tendon-anchored plate with a calcaneus-only plate due to skin ulceration and implant prominence.
• Implant-associated infection was suspected; cultures confirmed Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, managed with doxycycline and clindamycin.
• Use of human placental matrix (hPM) and both autogenous and allogenic bone grafts supported healing, though their specific contribution remains uncertain.
• Postoperative complications included delayed union and skin ulceration, emphasizing challenges of implant design and soft tissue management.
• This is the first report of using a bone-to-tendon plate for a calcaneus fracture in dogs and demonstrates its potential in cases where traditional methods are not viable.

🔍 Key Findings

Design: Ex vivo cadaver study (n=8 dogs, 24 sites)
Comparison: Freehand vs. 3D-printed drill guide-assisted ventral slot (GAVS vs FHVS)
Findings:

• GAVS produced slots not significantly different from planned dimensions (p = .722–.875)
• FHVS produced significantly shorter slots than intended (p < .01)
• No difference in surgical time (p = .071)
• Shape ratio and slot divergence from midline were similar between groups (p > .4)
• Use of guide significantly reduced variability in slot position (63% → 29%), shape (65% → 24%), and divergence (54% → 50%)

Conclusion: 3D-printed guides improved accuracy and consistency of ventral slot creation by novice surgeons; supports future evaluation in live dogs and small breeds

🔍 Key Findings

• 73 elbows (52 dogs) underwent randomized medial or lateral transcondylar screw placement for HIF.
• Lateral-to-medial placement resulted in a significantly higher rate of complications (62.2%) vs medial-to-lateral (19.4%) (p = .001).
• Odds ratio for complications: 6.11 (95% CI: 2.13–17.52).
• Most common complications: seromas (n = 13), surgical site infections (n = 16).
• Implants with lower AMI/bodyweight were significantly associated with major complications (p = .037).
• Only 4 procedures (5%) required revision surgery (major type I complications), with no difference by screw direction.
• NNT = 2.3 for medial placement to prevent one complication.

🔍 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

• Crescent guide use resulted in significantly less medial cortical damage (mean 3.8 mm²) than the radial saw guide (35.7 mm²) and standard jig (51.3 mm²) in bone models.
• No significant difference in osteotomy accuracy (distance of eccentricity, coronal or axial angulation) among crescent guide, radial guide, or standard jig in either bone models or cadavers.
• Device application time was shortest with the crescent guide and longest for the radial saw guide.
• Osteotomy time was fastest with the crescent guide compared to the radial saw guide (P = .015).
• Participants rated the crescent guide easier to apply than both the radial saw guide (P < .005) and the standard jig (P = .015).
• 5 of 6 novice participants preferred the crescent guide over the other devices for performing TPLO.
• Subjective ease of osteotomy performance was higher with the crescent guide vs. radial guide (P < .001).
• Crescent guide does not assist in fragment stabilization or plateau rotation unlike a standard TPLO jig.

🔍 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.

🔍 Key Findings

• Fewer R1 margins (tumor on ink) were achieved in mast cell tumors (MCTs) when using 6–10 mm lateral margins versus 0–5 mm (7% vs. 55%; _P_ = .049).
• For soft tissue sarcomas (STSs), no benefit was seen in margin completeness between 0–5 mm vs. 6–10 mm lateral margins (41% vs. 43% R1).
• Overall R1 rates were 26% for MCTs and 42% for STSs following PNE.
• R scheme (“tumor on ink” = R1) had better interobserver agreement (83%) compared to ≤1 mm margin criteria (68% agreement).
• Complication rate was moderate (26%), but no surgeries required revision.
• Local recurrence/metastasis occurred in 14% of dogs, with 60% of those having R1 margins.
• Adjunctive therapy was considered clinically indicated in 46% of 0–5 mm margin cases vs. 24% of 6–10 mm cases.
• Histologic grade and tumor size were not predictive of margin completeness.

🔍 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.