A retrospective evaluation of complications associated with forkless tibial tuberosity advancement performed in primary care practice.

OBJECTIVE: To report postoperative complications associated with forkless tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) performed in primary care veterinary practice and to compare results with previous publications. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Three hundred seventy-four forkless TTAs in 329 dogs performed by six nonspecialist veterinarians. METHODS: Medical records of dogs treated with a standard forkless TTA (2013-2016) and with at least 12 months of postoperative follow-up were reviewed. Complications recorded by the referring practice or the operating veterinarian were classified as minor (medically treated) or major (surgically treated). RESULTS: Complications occurred in 57 of 374 (15.2%) TTAs; 28 (7.5%) complications were major, and 29 (7.7%) complications were minor. Postliminary meniscal injuries were documented in 12 of 374 (3.2%) TTAs (12/57 major complications) and were more common when the ratio of cage size to bodyweight was ≤0.25 (P = .019). Mean TTA (cage size) was greater in this population than what has been previously reported for a lower median bodyweight. CONCLUSION: The incidence of major complications was low and within the range previously reported for TTA in referral practice after adjusting for study design. The magnitude of advancement was greater, and the incidence of postliminary meniscal injury was lower than what has been previously reported, after accounting for dogs that had a preliminary meniscal injury or medial meniscal release. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Forkless TTA may be successfully performed by experienced veterinarians in primary care practice with a low rate of complications. The incidence of postliminary meniscal injury may be reduced by a greater degree of advancement of the tibial tuberosity.

Primary small intestinal lymphangiosarcoma in a dog presenting with a segmental partial mesenteric volvulus.

A 3-year-old Great Dane presented with a history of chronic vomiting and diarrhoea. Abdominal computed tomography followed by exploratory laparotomy revealed a perforated, segmental partial mesenteric volvulus, affecting an abnormal section of distal jejunum, which was resected. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry results were consistent with jejunal lymphangiosarcoma. This case represents the first report of primary small intestinal lymphangiosarcoma in dogs and the importance of immunohistochemistry for definitive diagnosis.

Computed Tomographic Measurement of Trochlear Depth in Three Breeds of Brachycephalic Dog.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the trochlear sulcus depth of three common brachycephalic breeds at risk of medial patellar luxation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective blinded clinical study using a previously validated ratio (T/P) of maximal trochlear sulcus depth (T) and maximal patellar craniocaudal thickness (P) measured on computed tomography, to assess trochlear sulcus depth in Pugs, French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs without clinical patellar luxation. The effect of breed on T/P was assessed using one-way linear regression models. RESULTS: The mean T/P was affected by breed (p < 0.001). There was significant difference between Pugs (0.45) and French Bulldogs (0.38) and between Pugs and English Bulldogs (0.4). There was no significant difference between Pugs and previously published data for non-brachycephalic and mixed breed dogs (0.46) (p = 0.39). Mean T/P was significantly reduced in the brachycephalic dog breeds combined compared with the previously published data (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The trochlear sulcus varies by breed and was more shallow in French and English Bulldogs than Pugs, hence a shallow sulcus may be a breed-driven characteristic. The three breeds assessed are at risk of patellar luxation but sulcus depth did not directly correlate with previously published risk factors-the contribution of sulcus depth to the aetiopathogenesis of patellar luxation remains unclear. Trochlear recession to achieve patellar coverage of 50% may be excessive considering maximal breed normal depth.