Intradental Displacement of a Deciduous Tooth Root in a Dog.

This case study describes the diagnosis and treatment of a deciduous left maxillary canine tooth root that had been displaced into the pulp of the developing permanent left maxillary canine tooth in a 23-month-old female neutered Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The patient was initially presented for bilateral persistent deciduous maxillary canine teeth extraction. Seventeen months later the permanent left maxillary canine tooth was found to be non-vital and tooth development had ceased prior to apical closure. Radiographs revealed a radio-opaque dentine-like structure and straight line centrally within the pulp of the permanent tooth. The displacement of the deciduous tooth into the developing permanent tooth was confirmed. This unusual potential complication should be considered when performing deciduous teeth extraction.

Impact of femoral varus on complications and outcome associated with corrective surgery for medial patellar luxation.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of femoral varus with postoperative complications and outcome following standard corrective surgery for medial patellar luxation (MPL) without distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) in dogs. METHODS: In a retrospective study spanning a 12 year period, 87 stifles with MPL that were treated by standard surgical techniques were included. Inclination angle (ICA), femoral varus angle (FVA), anatomical lateral distal femoral angle (aLDFA), and mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA) were measured. Postoperative complications were noted and outcome evaluated. Associations between potential risk factors and both complication rate and outcome were assessed. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occurred in 19 stifles, five of which were major. There was no evidence of an association between FVA (p = 0.41) or aLDFA (p = 0.38) and any complication. There was also no evidence of an association between FVA (p = 0.31) or aLDFA (p = 0.38) and any major complication. Dogs with a larger aLDFA had increased odds of a poorer outcome (p = 0.01) as did dogs that suffered a major complication (p = 0.0001). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Based on radiographic measurements, there is no evidence of an association between FVA and the incidence of postoperative complications following standard MPL correction. Traditional surgical techniques appear to be appropriate for most cases of MPL and further work is required to better define selection criteria for including DFO in the treatment of these cases.