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Introduction: Center of pressure (COP) parameters are frequently assessed to analyze movement disorders in humans and animals. Methodological discrepancies are a major concern when evaluating conflicting study results. This study aimed to assess the inter-observer reliability and test-retest reliability of body COP parameters including mediolateral and craniocaudal sway, total length, average speed and support surface in healthy dogs during quiet standing on a pressure plate. Additionally, it sought to determine the minimum number of trials and the shortest duration necessary for accurate COP assessment. Materials and methods: Twelve clinically healthy dogs underwent three repeated trials, which were analyzed by three independent observers to evaluate inter-observer reliability. Test-retest reliability was assessed across the three trials per dog, each lasting 20 seconds (s). Selected 20 s measurements were analyzed in six different ways: 1 × 20 s, 1 × 15 s, 2 × 10 s, 4 × 5 s, 10 × 2 s, and 20 × 1 s. Results: Results demonstrated excellent inter-observer reliability (ICC ≥ 0.93) for all COP parameters. However, only 5 s, 10 s, and 15 smeasurements achieved the reliability threshold (ICC ≥ 0.60) for all evaluated parameters. Discussion: The shortest repeatable durations were obtained from either two 5 s measurements or a single 10 s measurement. Most importantly, statistically significant differences were observed between the different measurement durations, which underlines the need to standardize measurement times in COP analysis. The results of this study aid scientists in implementing standardized methods, thereby easing comparisons across studies and enhancing the reliability and validity of research findings in veterinary medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postural stability requires an interaction between cognitive, perceptual, sensory, and motor functions. Thus, impairment in any of these systems may affect postural balance. This study assessed the effect of visual input and surface slope on postural stability. The study was conducted on healthy participants, 11 females and 11 males who were 24–34 years of age. They were asked to perform still upright bipedal standing on flat and +/−20° sloped surfaces with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC). Six center of pressure (COP) parameters were measured by posturography. A significant relationship was observed between COP parameters, standing conditions, and body mass index. Gender had no significant effect on the COP. The loss of visual input within each standing condition did not affect the COP parameters. In contrast, differences were observed between standing on a flat surface and uphill with EC and between standing on a flat surface and downhill with EC and EO. When the participants were standing on inclined surfaces, the loss of vision significantly increased the postural instability. Young healthy adults demonstrated the greatest difficulty in standing uphill with EC. This was followed by standing downhill with EC and standing downhill with EO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Hip laxity is one of the most frequent orthopedic disorders in dogs, and it is one of the main underlying reasons for canine hip dysplasia. Canine hip dysplasia is a progressive disease influenced by inheritance. Veterinarians can take timely preventive/therapeutic measures when hip laxity is diagnosed early, and prevent the participation of dysplastic dogs in breeding programs to reduce the prevalence of the disease. Effective treatment strategies can increase the welfare of dogs by reducing the severity of the disease at older ages. In this study, we aimed to assess the reproducibility of the protocols reported for the radiographic assessment of canine hip dysplasia in 8- and 12-month-old Rottweilers. Five observers investigated eight radiographic parameters at each examination time. According to the results, there were high interobserver agreements at both ages for the measurable parameters, such as the center edge angle (CEA), dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS), distraction index (DI), and Norberg angle (NA), whereas the observers recorded poor to moderate agreements for the subjective values, such as the grading of the dorsal acetabular rim (GDAR), grading of the degenerative joint disease (GDJD), location of the center of the femoral head (LCFH), and sclerosis of the cranial acetabular rim (SCAR). Hip laxity is one of the predisposing factors of canine hip dysplasia. The early diagnosis of hip laxity allows veterinarians to prevent the participation of dysplastic dogs in breeding programs, which could lower the disease's prevalence due to its genetic background. Furthermore, it allows them to plan preventive/therapeutic procedures for mild/near-normal hips to reduce the symptoms of the disease at older ages. A reliable screening program must be repeatable and reproducible, and intra- and inter-observer studies can help us to determine the best methods. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the radiographic parameters used for the early diagnosis of hip dysplasia in Rottweilers at 8 and 12 months of age with five observers to assess the interobserver agreements. According to our findings, there were high interobserver agreements at both ages for the quantitative values, such as the center edge angle (CEA), dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS), distraction index (DI), and Norberg angle (NA), whereas we recorded from poor to moderate agreements for the qualitative values, such as the grading of the dorsal acetabular rim (GDAR), grading of the degenerative joint disease (GDJD), location of the center of the femoral head (LCFH), and sclerosis of the cranial acetabular rim (SCAR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Virtual reality and augmented reality are rapidly progressing technologies in different fields, such as the gaming and entertainment industries, military training, professional simulation, education, and medicine. Researchers have evaluated the use of these technologies in human and veterinary medicine. Our goal in this systematic review was to evaluate the articles that used virtual or augmented reality in veterinary medicine, as well as medical articles with animal trials and report published protocols and results. The studies we included in our review reported new diagnostic/therapeutic methods, as well as new educational possibilities for the use of virtual or augmented reality in human or veterinary medicine. These articles mostly focused on assessing different methods, tools (hardware and software), and workflow, in addition to troubleshooting the reported protocols. According to the included articles, the application of these technologies can increase the scientific output of students and residents, reduce training costs, and promote ethical standards. However, we consider the absence of standard protocols for the application of these tools, their time-consuming nature, and their prices as study limitations. Virtual reality and augmented reality are new but rapidly expanding topics in medicine. In virtual reality, users are immersed in a three-dimensional environment, whereas in augmented reality, computer-generated images are superimposed on the real world. Despite advances in human medicine, the number of published articles in veterinary medicine is low. These cutting-edge technologies can be used in combination with existing methods in veterinary medicine to achieve diagnostic/therapeutic and educational goals. The purpose of our review was to evaluate studies for their use of virtual reality and augmented reality in veterinary medicine, as well as human medicine with animal trials, to report results and the state of the art. We collected all of the articles we included in our review by screening the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Of the 24 included studies, 11 and 13 articles belonged to virtual reality and augmented reality, respectively. Based on these articles, we determined that using these technologies has a positive impact on the scientific output of students and residents, can reduce training costs, and can be used in training/educational programs. Furthermore, using these tools can promote ethical standards. We reported the absence of standard operation protocols and equipment costs as study limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Canine hip dysplasia is an important orthopedic disorder in veterinary medicine. In addition to body weight, fat intake, rapid growth, and hormonal changes, heredity is one of its underlying factors. Diagnosis of hip dysplasia under one year of age would help veterinarians to plan proper preventive/therapeutic methods and exclude dysplastic dogs from breeding programs to reduce the incidence of the disease in future generations. Therefore, having an accurate method for the early diagnosis of dysplastic dogs is an important subject, and a limited number of screening methods are used globally. Assessment of the accuracy of these methods can be examined with intra- and inter-observer studies. In this study, we aimed to assess the inter-observer agreements of the eight radiographic parameters from four different radiographic projections between five experienced observers (two of them certified scrutineers for canine hip dysplasia) to evaluate the reproducibility of the protocols. In our study, high inter-observer agreements were recorded for measurable values such as angle measurements, whereas the results of the subjective grading were low. Thus, it can be deduced that quantitative parameters are reliable values and a combination of these values with other screening programs such as clinical examinations might increase the accuracy of the examinations. Canine hip dysplasia is a complex and multifactorial disease. The early diagnosis of dysplastic dogs under one year of age helps veterinarians to plan proper preventive/therapeutic methods. Having an accurate screening method increases the chance of the early detection of dysplasia. The goal of our study was to assess the inter-observer reliability of eight radiographic parameters in four-month-old Rottweilers. Radiographs of the 28 Rottweilers were investigated by five experienced observers. The radiographs were taken in ventrodorsal view with extended legs, frog-leg ventrodorsal view, distraction view, and dorsal acetabular rim view. Four quantitative parameters such as Norberg angle (NA), distraction index (DI), dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS), and center edge angle (CEA) and four qualitative parameters such as sclerosis of the cranial acetabular rim (SCAR), location of the center of the femoral head (LCFH), grading of the degenerative joint disease (GDJD), and grading of the dorsal acetabular rim (GDAR) were evaluated. High inter-observer agreements were recorded for quantitative values, whereas the inter-observer agreement of the qualitative parameters was low. It can be deduced that the evaluated quantitative parameters are reliable, and a combination of these methods with clinical examinations might increase the accuracy of the examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement of fore and pelvic limb alignment in veterinary orthopedics is significant, as it is in human medicine. The establishment of reference ranges for alignments and comparing measured ranges in diseased animals to these reference values would allow veterinarians to specify the quantitative degree of an angular deformity, plan suitable treatments and evaluate treatment outcomes. Patellar luxation is a common orthopedic disease in small animal clinics. Severe grades of MPL may present with bone deformities or abnormal alignments; therefore, evaluation of the measurement methods of femoral and tibial alignment in dogs with different grades of patellar luxation to assess the accuracy and reliability of the measurements could be useful. In this retrospective study radiographs of 21 client-owned Chihuahuas that had been presented to the Small Animal Surgery of Vetmeduni Vienna from 2012–2016 with a diagnose of patellar luxation were selected. The measurements were performed on frontal, lateral and axial view radiographs to determine the femoral and tibial angles and to evaluate the intra- and inter-observer variabilities of the protocol. Radiographs of each dog were investigated by three observers. Intra-observer variability was based on measurements by each observer who repeated the protocol two times to evaluate repeatability. Inter-observer variability was based on the measurements between the three observers to evaluate the reproducibility of the protocol. The results of the study showed that 92.85% of inter-observer ICC (intra-class correlation coefficient) had high correlation, and the remaining 7.15% had good correlation. Intra-observer ICCs for measurements of the first observer were 28.57% high correlation and 50% good correlation. For the second observer, 100% high correlation was recorded, and for the third observer 71.42% high correlation and 14.28% good correlation was recorded. These results show that the selected methods have high correlation and could be used as a reliable method in veterinary orthopedics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The measurement of limb alignments is an important topic in veterinary orthopedics. These measurements enable veterinarians to assess normal limb functions, diagnose congenital or acquired disorders, and plan proper treatment protocols. Different measurement methods have been reported for fore- and hindlimb measurements in the literature, and reference ranges have been published for different breeds. These standard values can be compared with the measured values in small animal clinics, especially in the case of bilateral deformities, in which a sound extremity does not exist to provide a reference value. In this review, we aimed to compile the relevant values from the literature, sorting them according to the dog breed and the health status of the dog. The assessment of limb conformations in veterinary orthopedics is a significant tool used to determine the quantitative degree of limb malalignments. As in human medicine, various studies have been undertaken in veterinary medicine to determine the values in different dog breeds and to determine the values in healthy and diseased dogs. The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the reported values in these articles separately, to compile the standard values, and to compare the values between dogs with and without various orthopedic diseases. All of the articles included in this systematic review were collected by screening the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, and Web of Science databases. The articles were evaluated according to the measured alignments, imaging methods, dog breeds, and the health status of the dogs. Each alignment was investigated separately, and the results are summarized. Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review. According to the studies, in the frontal plane, distal femoral alignments, as well as proximal and distal tibial alignments, corresponded to the severity of the medial patellar luxation. The difference between affected and non-affected dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease was limited to the proximal tibial alignments in the sagittal plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Canine hip dysplasia is one of the most frequently occurring orthopedic diseases in dogs, and hip laxity is the primary sign of this disease. The early diagnosis of hip laxity in puppies would make veterinarians capable of planning preventative procedures to treat the disease or reduce the severity of disease at older ages. These procedures would improve the quality of the life of the dogs and reduce treatment costs. Furthermore, because of the importance of genetics in this disease, dogs with a risk of developing canine hip dysplasia in the future could be excluded from breeding programs. Therefore, the early diagnosis of canine hip laxity, as well as the selection of proper diagnostic methods, are of great importance in small animal orthopedics. Canine hip dysplasia is a multifactorial disorder characterized by hip laxity and osteoarthritis. The early diagnosis of hip laxity is an important topic in small animal orthopedics. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between clinical orthopedic examinations and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) scoring method. Thirty purebred Rottweilers were examined at approximately four (20 ± 2 weeks), eight (35 ± 2 weeks), and twelve months of age (54 ± 1 weeks), respectively. The Ortolani, Barlow, and Bardens tests and reduction/subluxation angle measurements were performed at each time. FCI scoring was conducted at the third examination time. Positive correlations were recorded between the reduction angle and Ortolani test, reduction angle and FCI score, and Ortolani test and FCI score for the second and third examination dates. No correlation was observed between the subluxation angle and other methods. Despite previous studies reporting 16–20 weeks as the earliest age for diagnosing hip laxity in dogs, in our study, early diagnosis was possible from the age of 35 ± 2 weeks. This difference might originate from the small sample size, low number of the dogs with severe grades of laxity, and breed differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]