🔍 Key Findings

Case 1: Chest wall lift improved oxygenation (PaO₂ increased from 179.4 to 306.3 mmHg) and enabled thoracoscopic-assisted lobectomy in a cat with pleural effusion and pulmonary carcinoma.
Case 2: Chest wall lift using a Steinmann pin allowed 3-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for a bronchial foreign body; no complications observed.
Both cats: Lift increased working space and eliminated need for thoracotomy; no device-related complications.
Pretied ligating loops (PLL) were effective for hilar vessel ligation—preferred over staplers or self-locking ligatures in feline thorax.
Conclusion: Thoracic lift is a novel, minimally invasive method enhancing thoracoscopic procedures in small patients, particularly cats.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 89 French Bulldogs with HCF; 40.4% (36/89) had contralateral HIF
• Prophylactic transcondylar screws placed in 20/36 HIF; no complications in these
• Complication rate for HCF repair = 13.4% (6.7% minor, 6.7% major)
• Most complications occurred with Kirschner wire fixation
• Short-term outcome: Bone healing observed in all, but 14/45 had persistent intracondylar gap
• Long-term outcomes (n=27):
  • Excellent = 66.7%
  • Good = 29.6%
  • Fair = 3.7%
• Complication-free dogs significantly more likely to have excellent/good outcomes (p = 0.007)

🔍 Key Findings

• SVAPs placed in axillary (aSVAP) or femoral/external iliac veins (fSVAP) during limb amputation remained functional in 92.3% and 100% of cases, respectively.
• Complication rates were lower in aSVAP (23.1%) and fSVAP (0%) compared to jSVAP (47.4%), although not statistically significant (P = .12).
• No catastrophic complications occurred with aSVAP or fSVAP; 2 deaths occurred with jSVAP due to port-related issues.
• Infection-related port removal was needed in 1 aSVAP (7.7%) and 2 jSVAPs (10.5%) — no removals were required in fSVAPs.
• Tip placement of the catheter (e.g., right atrium vs. vena cava) did not correlate with complications (P = .66).
• Shorter surgical time likely with aSVAP/fSVAP as they use the same surgical field as the limb amputation.
• Survival time median was similar across groups (jSVAP: 177 days, aSVAP: 125 days, fSVAP: 122 days).
• SVAP implantation during limb amputation offers a practical and safe alternative to separate jugular placement.

🔍 Key Findings

• Thoracoscopic (TL) or thoracoscopic-assisted (TAL) lobectomy was successfully performed in 12 dogs with non-neoplastic pulmonary consolidation (PC).
• 44% (4/9) of TL cases were converted to open thoracotomy due to adhesions or poor visualization—higher than rates for neoplastic lobectomies.
• OLV was successful in 7/9 TL dogs; unsuccessful attempts were managed with intermittent ventilation, mostly in brachycephalic breeds.
• Median hospital stay was 3 days; 91.7% (11/12) survived to discharge, and 100% of survivors showed no recurrence at median 24-month follow-up.
• Complications were mostly minor: pneumothorax (2), minor hemorrhage (3), dehiscence (1), and 1 fatality due to BOAS complications.
• Histopathology showed infectious pneumonia in 10 dogs, and in 4 cases, foreign body migration was suspected as the underlying cause.
• Median surgical time for TL was 90 minutes; conversion correlated with longer symptom duration (median 90 vs. 7 days).
• Postoperative recovery was excellent in all surviving dogs, with one case of persistent cough attributed to concurrent heart disease.

🔍 Key Findings

• MEFF occurred in 11.4% (10/88 elbows) following medial-to-lateral transcondylar screw placement in dogs with HIF.
• Screw size to condylar height ratio >41% significantly increased MEFF risk (P = .004, OR 1.52).
• MEFF was not recognized intraoperatively in 60% of cases and was only seen on follow-up or retrospective imaging review.
• Screw loosening was the most common complication (11.2%), observed both with and without MEFF.
• MEFF tended to increase the risk of screw loosening (P = .06), but was not statistically significant.
• Most MEFFs did not require treatment and healed radiographically by 14–17 weeks in monitored cases.
• Shaft screws were used in all MEFF cases, but shaft vs cortical design was not significantly associated with MEFF.
• The clinical impact of MEFF was minor in most cases, although long-term significance is unknown.

🔍 Key Findings

The study included 162 deep-pain-negative dogs undergoing decompressive surgery (hemilaminectomy) for acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE).

Ambulatory recovery occurred in 53.1% of dogs (86/162).

The best performing machine-learning model was XGBoost, with an AUC of 0.9502 and accuracy of 89.1%, outperforming Ridge, AdaBoost, and Naive Bayes models.

Preoperative-only XGBoost models were less accurate, with AUC dropping to 0.8271 and accuracy to 71.9%.

Top predictive features (by SHAP analysis) included:

1. T2-weighted to L2 spinal cord signal ratio (lower values predicted better outcome)
2. Use of fenestration (presence associated with better recovery)
3. Hospitalization duration
4. Imaging modality used
5. Duration of nonambulatory status

Machine learning provided better insight into prognostic factors than traditional statistical methods.

🔍 Key Findings

Case 1: Chest wall lift improved oxygenation (PaO₂ increased from 179.4 to 306.3 mmHg) and enabled thoracoscopic-assisted lobectomy in a cat with pleural effusion and pulmonary carcinoma.
Case 2: Chest wall lift using a Steinmann pin allowed 3-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for a bronchial foreign body; no complications observed.
Both cats: Lift increased working space and eliminated need for thoracotomy; no device-related complications.
Pretied ligating loops (PLL) were effective for hilar vessel ligation—preferred over staplers or self-locking ligatures in feline thorax.
Conclusion: Thoracic lift is a novel, minimally invasive method enhancing thoracoscopic procedures in small patients, particularly cats.

🔍 Key Findings

• Arthroscopic-assisted hip toggle stabilization (AA-HTS) was successfully completed in all 14 feline cadaver joints.
• Femoral and acetabular tunnel creation was feasible in all cases, though femoral tunnel placement had a higher rate of deviations.
• Intraoperative complications occurred in 5/14 joints, mostly related to femoral tunnel creation and toggle lodging.
• Minor articular cartilage injury (<10% total cartilage area) occurred in 10/14 joints, but no injury to neurovascular or intrapelvic structures.
• Thirteen surgical technique deviations (8 major, 5 minor) were identified in 7 joints, all involving the femoral tunnel.
• Toggle passage through the femoral tunnel was the most challenging step, being mildly difficult in 6 joints.
• Postoperative CT and gross dissection confirmed all toggles and buttons were in correct position, without damage to major surrounding structures.
• No deviations, complications, or cartilage injuries occurred in the last 4 joints, suggesting a learning curve effect.

🔍 Key Findings

• Intra- and postoperative complications occurred only in stapled lobectomies, but the difference was not statistically significant (intra: p = .069, post: p = .112).
• Intraoperative hemorrhage was the most common complication (11.8%), followed by air leakage (2%).
• All self-ligating loop (SLL) lobectomies had zero complications (n=18), though the sample was small.
• Postoperative complications included 4 catastrophic events (cardiopulmonary arrest), all in stapled cases.
• Lung lobectomy technique was not associated with duration of chest tube use, hospitalization, or survival (p > .05).
• 94.3% of patients survived to discharge (82/87).
• SLLs are lower-cost and may be more feasible for thoracoscopic/minimally invasive approaches due to smaller port size (5mm vs. 12mm for staplers).
• A future superiority study would need ≥103 lobectomies per group to assess differences in complication rates.

🔍 Key Findings

• 3D-printed cannulas (3DPCs) reduced mean surgical time significantly in cadaveric procedures (125.6 vs 95.2 min, p = 0.03).
• Cannula pullout events decreased from a mean of 10 to 2.2 per procedure when using only 3DPCs (p = 0.03).
• Instrument collisions were significantly fewer with 3DPCs (6.8 vs 2.6 collisions, p = 0.03).
• Live patients experienced no postoperative complications, including no incision site infections or discomfort.
• Initial versions of 3DPCs had minor issues, including valve leakage and looser trocar fit, requiring surgical workarounds.
• Customization of cannula shaft length (3 cm vs standard 5–8.3 cm) improved working space and reduced instrument interference.
• Production cost was under $5 per cannula, suggesting 3DPCs may be a cost-effective and reusable alternative for small patients.
• Study supports broader use of 3DPCs in laparoscopic procedures requiring long-jawed instruments or intricate tissue handling.