🔍 Key Findings

• Fasting ammonia (FA) was the most specific test (100%) for confirming EHPSS closure postoperatively.
• Serum hyaluronic acid (SHA) and MEGX at 15 minutes post-lidocaine were the most sensitive tests (96.9% and 96.2%, respectively).
• SHA combined with MEGX T15, or with FA or postprandial serum bile acids (SBA), provided 100% sensitivity with good specificity (72.4–82.8%).
• SHA levels remained elevated in all dogs with persistent shunting, even when other tests were normal.
• Paired SBA had moderate sensitivity (90%) and variable specificity (89%).
• The L/MEGX test at 30 min was less useful than at 15 min for assessing closure.
• Traditional SBA testing showed reduced utility postoperatively; normal values did not rule out persistent shunting.
• Blood tests improved when combined, but imaging remains essential to definitively confirm EHPSS closure.

🔍 Key Findings

• FFP resulted in longer median surgery (75 min) and anesthesia (111 min) durations than S (51 min and 80 min, respectively).
• No significant difference in anesthetic complications, regurgitation, aspiration pneumonia, or hospitalization time between S and FFP.
• Major complications were rare (4%) and equally distributed between procedures; included tracheostomy and euthanasia due to severe airway disease.
• Postoperative oxygen use was common (52% of dogs) but not significantly different between procedures.
• FFP dogs more often had laryngeal collapse (especially Grade 1: 68% vs. 32% in S dogs).
• Most dogs (85%) had concurrent nares surgery, with caudal wedge resection more frequent in FFP dogs.
• Few dogs needed revision soft palate surgery (7/124 total); similar between groups.
• Postoperative clinical signs improved across both procedures; regurgitation was the most persistent sign post-op.

🔍 Key Findings

• Surgical excision of insulinomas resulted in euglycemia or hyperglycemia in 90% of cats immediately post-op.
• 18/20 cats (90%) survived to hospital discharge, with a median survival time of 863 days.
• Younger age, metastasis at surgery, tumor invasion, and lower glucose levels were negative prognostic factors.
• Two cats had stage III disease with metastasis; one lived 413 days post-op, suggesting some benefit to surgery even in advanced disease.
• Postoperative hypoglycemia and seizure activity were associated with poorer outcomes; one cat euthanized due to seizures despite euglycemia.
• Median disease-free interval (DFI) was 1052 days; for cats with metastasis, DFI dropped to 93 days.
• Partial pancreatectomy was performed in 11 cats, nodulectomy in 10, and enucleation in 1; method of resection not linked to outcome.
• Postoperative complications occurred in 25% of cats; most were manageable with supportive care.

🔍 Key Findings

• Extreme brachycephalic breeds (EBBs) presented more acutely and at younger ages, most often with neurological signs compared to other breeds.
• Preoperative signs such as facial nerve paresis, vestibular syndrome, and Horner’s syndrome were significantly more common in EBBs.
• EBBs showed more severe imaging findings, including higher rates of otitis interna (46.3% vs. 8.5%) and brainstem changes (17.5% vs. 3%).
• Intraoperative complications were more frequent in EBBs (11.1% vs. 5.3%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .078).
• Perioperative complication rates did not differ significantly between EBBs and other breeds (23.5% vs. 29.3%).
• Surgical time was significantly longer in EBBs (median 115 vs. 95 minutes; p = .011).
• MRI or combined CT/MRI were more frequently used in EBBs, likely due to the higher prevalence of neurological signs.
• Despite anatomical challenges, complication rates in EBBs were comparable, supporting TECA-LBO safety in these breeds.

🔍 Key Findings

• Combined ICTL and NIRF detected the same SLN in 80% of cases; each method alone missed sentinel lymph nodes in some dogs.
• ICLT failed in 5% of dogs, while NIRF failed in 20%; combined use resulted in only 5% failure in SLN detection.
• Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 95% of dogs, despite most tumors being low or intermediate grade (95%).
• 27 of 41 nodes (65.8%) were histologically metastatic (HN2 or HN3), many of which would have been missed using ALN alone.
• ALN matched the SLN in only 45% of cases with ICTL and 30% with NIRF, supporting the need for SLN mapping.
• ICLT and NIRF were complementary, often identifying different SLN, with some only fluorescent or enhanced in one modality.
• Subcutaneous MCT had higher metastatic rates (7/8 dogs) than previously reported, challenging older assumptions about benign behavior.
• Removing both ALN and SLN (from both methods) improved detection of metastasis to 85–95%, reducing risk of understaging.

🔍 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

• LVSG was successfully performed in 9/10 cadavers and both live cats, demonstrating procedural feasibility.
• Mean stomach resected was 27.6% of total weight in cadavers, with no leaks in 8/8 tested or either live patient.
• Mean surgical time: 110.4 min (cadavers) and 115 min (live cats); no intra- or postoperative complications observed.
• Stenosis near the incisura occurred in 2 cadavers; attributed to staple placement too close to the lesser curvature.
• 3D printed cannulas (3DPCs) improved ergonomics and were used in 6/10 cadavers and both live procedures.
• Live cats lost 21–24% body weight over 3 months, with full return to pre-surgical BCS and no GI complications.
• Orogastric tube and proper tensioning were critical in preventing gastric stenosis during staple placement.
• No reinforcement or oversew was used on the staple line; TriStaple cartridges provided reliable closure.

🔍 Key Findings

• Short-term resolution of hypercalcemia occurred in 97.8% (44/45) of dogs.
• Long-term cure rate was 93.3%, comparable to traditional bilateral neck exploration.
• Postoperative hypocalcemia was observed in only 15.6%, which is lower than traditional approaches (36–63.8%).
• Permanent hypocalcemia occurred in 4.4%, requiring lifelong calcitriol supplementation.
• Minimally invasive approach had median surgical times of 26 min (unilateral) and 45.5 min (bilateral).
• Most lesions were adenomas (54.8%), followed by hyperplasia (27.4%) and carcinomas (3.2%).
• Ultrasound identified 98.4% (61/62) of abnormal glands, supporting it as the preferred imaging modality.
• One death due to non-compliance with calcitriol, emphasizing importance of postoperative management.

🔍 Key Findings

• 12.5% overall incidence of SSI after limb amputation, and 10.9% for clean procedures.
• Bipolar vessel sealing device use for muscle transection significantly increased SSI risk (OR 2.5; P = .023).
• Monopolar electrosurgery and sharp transection were not associated with increased SSI risk.
• Non-clean wound classification increased SSI odds (OR 8.2; P = .003).
• Amputation for infection (OR 5.7) or trauma (OR 4.5) significantly increased SSI risk compared to neoplasia.
• Preoperative infections at distant sites did not significantly increase SSI risk.
• Neither surgery/anesthesia duration, hypothermia, hypotension, nor skin closure method significantly affected SSI risk.
• Study supports avoiding bipolar sealing devices for muscle transection in limb amputations to reduce SSI risk.

🔍 Key Findings

• Only 1 of 12 dogs (8.3%) cultured the same single organism (Staphylococcus schleiferi) at TECA and dehiscence sites.
• In 58.3% (7/12), none of the bacteria from TECA cultures were found at dehiscence.
• Staphylococcus spp. were isolated in 83.3% of dehiscence samples.
• Methicillin resistance was high among Staphylococcus isolates: 80% at dehiscence.
• Antibiotic susceptibility differed in 57% (4/7) of cases where the same bacteria were cultured at both time points.
• TECA cultures were not predictive of bacteria at incisional dehiscence.
• 75% of dogs healed with either medical or surgical management.

Recommendation: Repeat cultures at dehiscence to guide antibiotic therapy.