🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Subjects: 11 animals (8 dogs, 3 cats)
• Technique: Uncovered balloon-expandable metallic biliary stents (BEMBS)
• Indications: Cholelithiasis, strictures, neoplasia, cholangiohepatitis, etc.
• Success: Patency achieved in all animals surviving to discharge
• Complications:
  • Short-term mortality: 2/11 (1 euthanized for SIRS, 1 unknown)
  • Long-term issues: cholangiohepatitis, choledocholithiasis, stent occlusion (in cats only)
• Long-term patency:
  • Dogs: median 650.5 days
  • Cats: median 446 days
• Stent removal possible even after >600 days in some cats
• Clinical outcome: Viable alternative to plastic stents or cholecystoenterostomy

🔍 Key Findings

• Refracture occurred in 5.5% of limbs, with higher incidence in the plate removal group (12.5%) vs. non-removal (3.5%).
• In the non-plate removal group, refractures occurred at the most distal screw site, linked to greater screw position change during growth (OR 1.79, p=0.04).
• Screw-to-bone diameter ratio (SBDR) >0.4 was a significant risk factor for refracture in the plate retention group.
• In the plate removal group, refractures occurred at the original fracture site, associated with lower pixel value ratio (bone mineral density) and reduced radial thickness.
• Implant-induced osteoporosis (IIO) beneath the plate likely contributed to refracture risk after plate removal.
• Younger age at fracture (<6 months) was associated with higher refracture risk due to ongoing radial growth and shifting screw position.
• No significant association was found between refracture and plate type (locking vs conventional), fixation method, or ulnar union.
• Recommendations include careful SBDR sizing, motion restriction, and cautious plate removal decisions in growing dogs.

🔍 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

• Raised eyelets caused more suture mid-section failures than embedded eyelets, suggesting wear or cutting against the anchor.
• No significant effect of cyclic loading on failure load (Fmax) was found for any anchor group.
• Anika anchor showed the least reduction in suture strength relative to the reference (eyebolt screw), indicating a favorable design.
• All sutures failed via suture breakage, not anchor pullout, indicating suture fatigue was the primary failure mode.
• Sutures in raised eyelets more often failed at the mid-section, while those in embedded eyelets failed at the knot.
• IMEX and Jorvet anchors showed significantly reduced Fmax compared to eyebolt screws.
• Loading direction and anchor design likely affect wear and ultimate failure, particularly in dynamic in vivo conditions.
• Future designs should aim for embedded, smooth eyelets that can accommodate larger suture sizes without increasing wear.

🔍 Key Findings

• Mediastinoscopy was technically feasible in large-breed canine cadavers using a SILS port and standard laparoscopic instruments.
• The left tracheobronchial lymph node (LTBLN) was successfully retrieved in all cadavers (7/7), while cranial mediastinal lymph nodes were retrieved in only 1/7.
• Postprocedural pleural gas was observed in 4/7 cadavers, likely due to CO₂ insufflation.
• Instrument limitations with a human-designed mediastinoscope led to preference for laparoscopic instruments and SILS port for improved access and visualization.
• Complication rates were low, with only two minor (Grade 1) adverse events (pleural tear and LN rupture).
• Obesity and mediastinal fat were cited as potential challenges to visualization and node retrieval.
• NASA-TLX workload scores were lowest for tracheobronchial nodes, indicating these were the easiest to access.
• The authors concluded this approach may facilitate minimally invasive biopsy or resection of cranial mediastinal masses in live dogs, but clinical trials are needed to validate safety and efficacy.

🔍 Key Findings

• Distal femoral shortening osteotomy (DFSO) enabled prosthesis reduction in all 4 dogs with irreducible luxoid hips undergoing total hip replacement.
• Median femoral shortening ratio was 13.8% (range: 10.7–15.3%) based on intraoperative tension needed for prosthesis reduction.
• Bone union was achieved in all cases post-DFSO, indicating good healing potential.
• Two major complications occurred: one prosthetic luxation and one aseptic stem loosening requiring explantation.
• One intraoperative fracture of the greater trochanter occurred during trial reduction before DFSO.
• DFSO did not result in neurovascular injury, even in cases with significant femoral head displacement (>4 cm).
• Radiographic planning with FHD index and intraoperative assessment were crucial for determining DFSO necessity.
• DFSO avoids complications linked to subtrochanteric osteotomy by preserving proximal femoral anatomy and allowing secure distal fixation.

🔍 Key Findings

• Complication rate for subdermal plexus flaps (SPFs) in dogs was 53.6%.
• Skin staples had a numerically higher complication rate (72.2%) than sutures (49.3%), but not statistically significant due to small sample size.
• Most common complication was wound dehiscence (35%), followed by seroma (14%) and wound discharge (14%).
• Increased body weight was significantly associated with higher complication risk (OR = 1.056 per kg; p = .029).
• Advancement flaps were associated with a lower incidence of complications on univariable analysis (p < .001).
• Head region flap closures had fewer complications, while proximal pelvic limb closures had the highest complication rate.
• Age was a risk factor—each additional year increased odds of complications (OR = 1.019; p = .004).
• Closure technique did not significantly influence complication severity, though staple use was numerically worse.

🔍 Key Findings

140 laparoscopic surgeons surveyed; 37% reported at least one musculoskeletal disorder.
Women had significantly higher odds of reporting WRMD (OR = 2.59, p = .011).
Smaller glove size significantly associated with WRMD (p = .001), shoulder tendonitis (p = .01), and neck strain (p = .001).
Most common injuries: Neck strain (35%), shoulder tendonitis (31%).
WRMD was associated with greater difficulty using:

• Rotating cup biopsy forceps (p < .001)
• Vessel sealing device and endo stapler (especially in those with shoulder injuries)

No significant association with surgeon age, dominant hand, height, weight, or case volume.

🔍 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

• Arthroscopic meniscal suturing was performed in 43 client-owned dogs, involving 44 meniscal repairs (one dog was bilateral). All injuries involved the caudal horn of the medial meniscus and were associated with cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) disease.
• All dogs underwent simultaneous TPLO, with some also receiving an internal brace (IB). Most repairs used simple vertical mattress sutures.
• The overall complication rate was 34.1% (15/44). Most complications were attributed to the TPLO/TPLO+IB and did not compromise the meniscal repair outcome.
• No median time to “acceptable” or “full” function was reported, but most dogs showed improvement in lameness and LOAD scores (p < .001), indicating good to excellent outcomes.
• Meniscal repair success rate was 88% (38/44), with TPLO + IB outperforming TPLO-only (93.3% vs 71.4%). Follow-up was performed at 8 weeks (40 dogs) and 6 months (16 dogs).
• Six failures occurred, all managed with arthroscopic meniscectomy, leading to normal activity in those dogs. Two IB-associated failures led to CrCL instability.
• The authors concluded the technique was safe, practical, and effective, with a reasonable complication rate.
• The findings support arthroscopic suturing as a feasible alternative to meniscectomy or meniscal release, offering long-term benefits for preserving the meniscus.