🔍 Key Findings

• The survey included 111 practicing surgeons and 28 residents from ACVS, ECVS, and ANZCVS. 98.2% had performed soft tissue minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
• In the past year, surgeons reported a median caseload of 90% basic laparoscopy, 0% advanced laparoscopy, and 10% thoracoscopy; for residents: 100% basic laparoscopy, 0% advanced, 0% thoracoscopy.
• Laparoscopic ovariectomy and OHE were the most commonly performed MIS procedures, with most respondents proficient in basic laparoscopy, but few performing advanced laparoscopy or thoracoscopy.
• Top barriers to MIS adoption were: lack of consistent caseload, lack of training, difficult learning curve, equipment limitations, and cost.
• 76.6% of surgeons and 92.9% of residents received MIS training during residency. Those trained had completed residency median 6 years ago, compared to 22 years ago for those without MIS training (p < .001). Perceived adequate training correlated with higher proficiency.
• MIS was recognized as having a steep learning curve, but patient benefits (mean score 4.0/5) were the top motivation — less pain, faster recovery, improved visualization.
• The authors conclude basic laparoscopy is widely adopted, but advanced and thoracoscopic MIS remain underutilized. Training and access are key to future growth.
• Expanded training and improved access to equipment are necessary to promote broader integration of MIS into veterinary soft-tissue surgery.

🔍 Key Findings

50 dogs underwent bilateral anal sacculectomy using a modified closed technique.
Intraoperative anal sac perforation occurred in 5 dogs (10%), with no postoperative complications in those dogs.
Postoperative complications (43 dogs with follow-up):

• Grade 1 (e.g., scooting, inappropriate defecation): 14/43 (32%)
• Grade 2 (medical treatment needed): 2/43 (5%)
• Grade 3B (revision surgery): 2/43 (5%)

93% of grade 1 and 100% of grade 2–3B complications resolved by two weeks postop.
Technique highlights: direct duct tracking, no anal sac packing, minimal dissection.

🔍 Key Findings

Population: 9 dogs underwent revision of osteointegrated acetabular cups after total hip arthroplasty (THA)

Revision Indications:

• 7 luxations (5 ventral, 2 craniodorsal)
• 1 femoral stem fracture
• 1 aseptic stem loosening

Implants:

• 8 BFX cups, 1 Helica; all revised to BFX
• 7/9 required a larger cup than original

Cup removal: Required sectioning with a high-speed burr and modular osteotome; removal fragments extracted

Complications:

• 1 recurrent luxation
• 1 low-grade infection with possible metallic debris-associated osteolysis
• 2 femoral fissures managed intraoperatively

Outcomes:

• Good to excellent function in 6/6 dogs available at median 621 days
• Minimal complications with success in re-osteointegration of new cup

Clinical takeaway: Revision of stable, ingrown cups is feasible and offers an alternative to pelvic osteotomies; typically requires upsizing

🔍 Key Findings

• Open transcholecystic cholangioscopy was feasible using a 3.8 mm disposable flexible endoscope in all 8 canine cadavers.
• Visualization was consistently achieved up to the junction of the hepatic ducts, common bile duct, and cystic duct.
• Advancement past the junction was limited by the endoscope diameter (3.8 mm) and anatomical flexure.
• The 1.9 mm flexible ureteroscope could visualize the entire biliary tree, including the major duodenal papilla, in a large dog (43.8 kg).
• Endoscopic tools (e.g., 3 Fr grasping forceps) could be passed through the working channel only after removing the irrigation line.
• Standard biopsy forceps were incompatible with the disposable endoscope's 1.2 mm working channel.
• Cadaver study showed no rupture, but clinical extrapolation is limited due to lack of diseased tissue.
• Disposable endoscope setup cost (~$6,100) was significantly lower than traditional endoscopy systems (~$75,000–100,000), improving accessibility.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• IMN provides relative stability, resists bending/torsion due to central axis alignment
• Larger diameter nails = exponentially greater stiffness (∝ D⁴)
• Trade-off: Larger interlocking holes weaken fatigue strength of the nail
• Reaming increases contact/stability but has pros/cons:
  • Improves outcomes in closed fractures
  • May reduce endosteal blood flow in thin-walled bones (e.g., cats)
• Design advances:
  • Angle-stable IMN reduce rotational slack
  • Expandable nails simplify insertion but may compromise removal or compressive load resistance
  • Precontoured nails match bone curvature but lack consistent clinical superiority
• Material debates continue (e.g., titanium vs. stainless steel vs. magnesium)

🔍 Key Findings

80 toy breed dogs with surgically repaired transverse radius/ulna fractures were analyzed.
Fracture gap in the caudal cortex was present in 46% of cases.
Implant failure rate:

• 27% in cases with fracture gap
• 2% in cases without fracture gap

Fracture gap significantly associated with implant failure:

• OR = 23.0, 95% CI: 2.7–197.9, p = 0.004

Absence of external coaptation also associated with increased implant failure risk:

• OR = 10.1, 95% CI: 1.1–89.6, p = 0.04

Prolonged external coaptation (>1 week) linked to non-implant complications (skin wounds, osteopenia, osteomyelitis):

• OR = 5.4, p = 0.04

Plate thickness, type, open screw holes, and working length were not statistically significant predictors of implant failure after multivariable analysis.

🔍 Key Findings

• 15 dogs underwent minimally invasive tarsal arthrodesis (MITA); 10 partial, 5 pantarsal.
• Mean time to radiographic union: 1.8 ± 0.5 months.
• Mean time to clinical union: 3.7 ± 0.8 months.
• Complete osseous union: 46%; the rest achieved ≥50% with functional weightbearing.
• Complication rate: 26% major (mostly implant-related); no catastrophic complications or plantar necrosis.
• Functional outcomes: 6 full, 8 acceptable, 1 unacceptable (not due to MITA).
• MITA may lower soft tissue complications vs open approaches and enable faster healing.

🔍 Key Findings

• Caudal superficial epigastric (CSE) flaps were most visible with NIRFA, scoring 4/4 VFP in 97% of evaluations.
• CSE flap margins were altered in 65% of observations after NIRFA, showing the strongest influence on surgical planning.
• Thoracodorsal (THO) and omocervical (OMO) flaps had lower visualization scores, with 60–81% of images scoring below 2.
• Surgeons were 17–25 times more likely to adjust margins for CSE flaps versus OMO or THO based on fluorescence imaging.
• Poor inter-rater agreement was found for OMO (ICC 0.49) and THO (ICC 0.35); CSE had near-perfect agreement, but ICC was low due to uniform high scoring.
• Visualization was affected by flap depth and panniculus, making deeper vessels (OMO, THO) harder to see.
• Surgeons often shortened flap length and reduced flap area when modifying based on NIRFA results.
• Real-time angiosome visualization via NIRFA-ICG may reduce necrosis risk and improve patient-specific APF design.

🔍 Key Findings

• Case: 9-year-old Labrador with a right caudal pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
• Technique: Peritumoral injection of indocyanine green (ICG) under VATS guidance, followed by near-infrared (NIR) imaging.
• SLN identified: Right tracheobronchial lymph node fluoresced and was safely extirpated.
• Histology: Grade 1 adenocarcinoma, pneumonia, reactive node.
• Outcome: Patient deteriorated and died on postoperative day 3 due to systemic complications (not linked to surgical technique).
• Clinical relevance: First clinical application of SLN mapping for canine pulmonary neoplasia; method feasible with open or minimally invasive approaches.

🔍 Key Findings

• PRUDA (proximal radio-ulnar divergence angle) and UCORA (ulnar center of rotation of angulation) were significantly greater in Cocker Spaniels with HIF vs those without.
• PRUDA (p < .001): Group 1 (HIF) vs Group 2 & 3.
• UCORA (p = .036): Group 1 vs Group 3.
• Other angles (MPRA, LDRA, PCRA, DCRA, torsion) showed no significant differences.
• Increased PRUDA and UCORA may lead to divergent load vectors across the humeral condyle, potentially predisposing to stress fracture (HIF).
• Measurement techniques using CT-based 3D reconstructions were reliable (intraobserver ICC > 0.84).