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Objective:  To report a modified intramedullary pinning technique, and associated outcomes, for distal femoral physeal Salter-Harris type I and II fracture management in cats., Study Design:  Retrospective study including client-owned cats presented between November 2014 and February 2022 with distal femoral physeal fractures treated with an intramedullary pin and one antirotational pin inserted in the lateral femoral condyle. Collected data included signalment, fracture characteristics according to the Salter-Harris classification, surgical data (intramedullary and antirotational pin sizes), and outcome data (radiographic and functional outcomes and complications)., Results:  Thirty-one cats were included in this study. Bone healing was radiographically confirmed 6 to 8 weeks postoperatively in all cases. The majority of cats (30/31) were classified as full functional outcomes at mid-term follow-up. The overall mid-term complication rate was 3% (1/31). Implant migration was not observed and implant removal was not needed in any case., Conclusion:  The modified intramedullary pinning technique for distal femoral Salter-Harris I and II fracture management in cats was associated with an full functional outcome., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report the relative sensitivity of different diagnostic imaging (DI) techniques to detect migrating foreign bodies (FB) in subcutaneous and underlying soft tissue structures of dogs and evaluate the value of intraoperative ultrasonography (intraop-US)., Study Design: Retrospective study., Sample Population: Forty-one dogs., Methods: Medical records (2007-2019) of dogs that underwent surgery for a chronic abscess or draining tract were included when preoperative US (preop-US), computed tomography (preop-CT), or preop-MRI, and at least 6 months of follow-up information were available. Collected data included the DI techniques used, DI findings, and surgical findings. The relative sensitivity of each preoperative DI (preop-DI) technique was calculated. Dogs were divided into two groups, dogs that underwent only a preop-DI examination (group A) and dogs that underwent an additional intraop-US (group B). The success rates for FB surgical removal were compared between groups., Results: The relative sensitivity of preop-US and preop-CT/MRI was 88% (95% CI, 70%-95.8%) and 57.1% (95% CI, 32.6%-78.6%), respectively. The success rate for FB removal was higher in group B (89.5%) than in group A (59.1%; P = .038). Clinical resolution occurred in 90.2% of dogs for a median duration of follow-up of 4.2 years (6 months to 9.3 years)., Conclusion: Preoperative US seems more suitable than preop-CT/MRI for detection of migrating FB in subcutaneous and underlying soft tissue structures. The use of intraop-US increases the success rate for FB surgical removal., Clinical Significance: Intraoperative US should be used in combination with preop-US to increase the likelihood of migrating FB surgical removal in dogs., (© 2021 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.)

Proximal tibial deformities or patellar luxation may occur concurrently with cranial cruciate ligament rupture. The objective of this study was to describe the management of those conditions with a modified triple tibial osteotomy (TTO) in nine dogs. Medical records of dogs who underwent a modified TTO were reviewed. The mean pre- and postoperative patellar tendon angles were 104.2° and 92.9°, respectively. The mean pre- and postoperative mechanical medial proximal tibial angles were 99.5° and 91.5°, respectively. Medial patellar luxation was present in five dogs (55.6%) and treated in all five dogs with a tibial crest transposition. Tibial torsion was grossly resolved in two dogs (22.2%). Perioperative distal tibial crest fracture was treated by pins and a figure-of-eight tension-band wire in five dogs (55.6%). One major (surgical site infection) and three minor postoperative complications were observed. At the last follow-up, seven dogs (77.8%) had no lameness, one dog (11.1%) had mild lameness, and one dog (11.1%) had moderate lameness. Radiographic evaluation showed good (2/9; 22.2%) to excellent (7/9; 77.8%) bone healing. The visual analog scale evaluation revealed good-to-excellent owner satisfaction. Cranial cruciate ligament rupture, tibial deformities, and medial patellar luxation are difficult to treat together. A modified TTO may be used to treat these conditions.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess short-and medium-term outcomes in dogs with chronic ventral thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) treated by thoracolumbar partial lateral corpectomy (TLPLC). Dogs surgically treated for chronic ventral IVDD by TLPLC were included. For each dog, neurological status evolution and complications were reported. Factors that could have influenced neurological recovery were statistically tested., Results: A total of 107 dogs were included in the study. Before surgery, 67.3 % of the dogs were able to walk, 24.3 % were grade 3, and 8.4 % were grade 4. The median hospitalization time was 3 days, and 82.2 % of the dogs were able to walk at discharge. The medium-term neurological grade was reached at a median time of 2 months. At the medium-term follow-up (median 12 months), 74.3 % of the dogs were neurologically improved, 22.9 % were stable, and 2.8 % were worsened. A total of 91.4 % of dogs were ambulatory, with 58.6 % of dogs having a normal gait. Preoperative neurological grade was significantly associated with the neurological status 24 h after the surgery and at discharge. Dogs with a higher preoperative neurological grade had a better chance of improving but lower odds of walking at 24 h after the surgery and at discharge compared with dogs with a lower preoperative grade. Spinal compression recurrence at the same surgical site was confirmed in 8 cases., Conclusion: Even if TLPLC leads to several intra and postoperative complications, this technique is a viable surgical option to treat chronic ventral IVDD.

A 2-year-old female crossbreed dog was presented with progressive ataxia and paraparesis. A T3-L3 spinal lesion was determined by neurological examination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an ovoid-shaped, well-circumscribed mass affecting the spinal cord at the level of the T9 vertebra. A left hemilaminectomy and a durotomy at the level of T9 allowed discovery of an ovoid deformation of the meninges with a cystic appearance. En bloc removal was performed and appeared to be complete. Pathological analysis showed a voluminous cystic lesion lined by a heterogeneous epithelium. Three types of epithelium were present: a pseudostratified columnar epithelium, a stratified squamous epithelium and a transitional epithelium. Mucus production, the morphology of some cells with microvilli at the apical pole and immunohistochemical assays were highly in favor of an endodermal origin of the cyst. The age of the dog, anamnesis, MRI study and histological findings were consistent with an intradural neurenteric cyst as described in humans. Total surgical removal led to a progressive clinical improvement with no recurrence at 18 months. We report an unusual intradural extramedullary cyst, called a neurenteric cyst, in a 2-year-old female crossbreed dog. This type of cyst is well-known in humans but has never been described in dogs. We propose that neurenteric cysts should be included in the differential diagnoses for tumor-like or cystic intradural lesions in the young dog. Prognosis for this type of cyst seems to be good, as total surgical removal led to a progressive clinical improvement with no recurrence at 18 months.

Objectives: To report a case series of thoracic bite trauma in dogs and cats and to evaluate risk factors for mortality., Methods: A retrospective study concerning thoracic bite wounds in dogs and cats was performed. Lesions were categorized by depth of penetration: no wound, superficial, deep or penetrating. Thoracic radiographic reports were reviewed. Lesion management was classified as non-surgical, wound exploration, or explorative thoracotomy., Results: Sixty-five cases were collected. Twenty-two percent of patients with normal respiratory patterns showed thoracic radiographic lesions. Respiratory distress was not correlated with mortality. Twenty-eight patients were presented with superficial wounds and 13 with deep wounds. Eight patients exhibited penetrating wounds. Radiographic lesions were observed in 77% of dogs and 100% of cats. Explorative thoracotomy was performed in 28% of patients, and surgical wound exploration in 17.2%. With the exception of skin wounds, thoracic wall discontinuity was the most frequent lesion. Thoracotomy was associated with increased length of hospitalisation but was not correlated with mortality. The mortality rate was 15.4%. No studied factor correlated with mortality, and the long-term outcomes were excellent., Clinical Significance: A penetrating injury, more than three radiographic lesions, or both together seemed to be indicative of the need for a thoracotomy. In the absence of these criteria, systematic bite wound explorative surgery is recommended, with extension to thoracotomy if thoracic body wall disruption is observed.

Background: Subarachnoid cysts are rare conditions in veterinary medicine, associated with spinal cord dysfunction. Most of the 100 cases of subarachnoid cysts described since the first report in 1968 were apparently not true cysts. Reported cysts are usually situated in the cervical area and occur in predisposed breeds such as the Rottweiler. The purpose of this retrospective study, from May 2003 to April 2012, was to describe the distinctive features of thoracolumbar spinal subarachnoid cysts, together with their surgical treatment and outcome in 6 chondrodystrophic dogs., Results: Five Pugs and 1 French Bulldog were examined. Images suggestive of a subarachnoid cyst were obtained by myelography (2/6) and computed tomography myelography (4/6), and associated disc herniation was observed in 3/6 dogs. A hemilaminectomy was performed. The protruding disc eventually found in 5/6 dogs was treated by lateral corpectomy. The ventral leptomeningeal adhesions observed in all dogs after durotomy were dissected. No or only mild post-operative neurological degradation was observed. Follow-up studies (7 months to 4 years) indicated good outcome and no recurrence., Conclusions: All the thoracolumbar subarachnoid cysts described in these 6 chondrodystrophic dogs were associated with leptomeningeal adhesions. Good results seemed to be obtained by dissecting and removing these adhesions. A protruding disc, found here in 5/6 dogs, needs to be ruled out and can be treated by lateral corpectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of the common tangent and conventional tibial plateau angle methods for measuring the patellar tendon angle (PTA) in dogs., Methods: Radiographs of cadaveric stifles (n = 20) placed at 135° in true lateral position were obtained to measure the PTA with both methods. A Kirschner wire was inserted perpendicularly to the patellar tendon at its insertion on the tibia and the stifle was dissected. Two Kirschner wires were then used to identify the anatomical landmarks of the tibial plateau. A digital image was obtained of the proximal tibia in true lateral position. Six blinded observers measured each PTA digitally while the anatomical PTA was determined by an independent blinded observer from the angle between the line representing the tibial plateau and the Kirschner wire representing the perpendicular to the patellar tendon. The agreement between the methods was determined statistically from an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)., Results: The global ICC for the common tangent method (0.44) and for the conventional method (0.4) indicated that their overall validity is poor. The measurements obtained by common tangentmethod and conventional method were respectively below and above the anatomical measurements. The reproducibility of the PTA measurements based on images of the dissected stifles was very good., Clinical Significance: Both the common tangent and conventional methods show poor concordance with the anatomical measurement of PTA. Further studies are needed to determine if errors in measurements affect the clinical outcome.

A morbidly obese (body mass index = 55.5) female patient presented with severe hypoxemic community acquired pneumonia [PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) = 57] with primarily right basal atelectasis, but without bilateral opacities in the upper lobes on the chest X-ray. Major O2 desaturations led the nurses to object to moving the patient to the prone position: muscle relaxation combined to prone position was impossible. Therefore, stringent 60 degrees reverse Trendelenburg legs down position was constantly maintained during mechanical ventilation through the endotracheal tube, using low pressure support (pressure support = 5-10 cmH2O) and high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). PEEP was progressively increased to 20 cmH2O, and little or no sedation was used. A P/F improvement from 57 to 200 over three days allowed removing the tracheal tube. The patient was discharged 13 days after admission. In this paper, the use of high PEEP in the context of morbid obesity, and low pressure support are discussed.