Atlantoaxial joint stabilization using patient-specific 3-D-printed drill guides and 3-D-printed titanium plates or polymethyl methacrylate is effective in toy-breed dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical outcomes in toy-breed dogs with atlantoaxial instability (AAI) stabilized with patient-specific 3-D-printed titanium plates or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), both with the assistance of 3-D-printed drill guides. ANIMALS: 15 client-owned dogs undergoing surgical treatment for AAI between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2022. METHODS: The clinical characteristics, diagnostic images, and neurological outcomes of 15 dogs treated for AAI using 3-D-printing technology were reviewed. Postoperative CT images were examined to evaluate the screw placement accuracy in the atlas and axis. Clinical outcomes, including postoperative neurological improvement and screw loosening, were evaluated in dogs treated with a patient-specific titanium plate and those treated with PMMA. RESULTS: Patient-specific titanium plates (7 dogs) and PMMA (8 dogs) were used for AAI stabilization. The mean follow-up period was 15.2 months (range 7 to 22 months). A reduction of the axis without vertebral canal violation was confirmed on postoperative CT in 14 dogs. The mean deviation from the preoperative planning ranged from 0.30 to 1.27 mm at the insertion and exit points of 84 screws using this method. The neurological grade had improved in each dog postoperatively and at the final follow-up. Screw loosening was noted in 4 dogs in the titanium plates groups without neurological deterioration. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Patient-specific 3-D-printed drill guides and titanium plates or PMMA are effective for AAI stabilization in toy-breed dogs, providing accurate guidance.

Three-dimensional-printed patient-specific guides for tibial deformity correction in small-breed dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of patient-specific 3-D-printed osteotomy, reduction, and compression guides for tibial closing wedge osteotomy in small-breed dogs. ANIMALS: 6 dogs with unilateral tibial deformities. METHODS: Six small-breed dogs with 1 or a combination of tibial deformities, including excessive tibial plateau angle, valgus, and torsion, were scheduled to undergo tibial closing wedge osteotomy using patient-specific 3-D-printed osteotomy, reduction, and compression guides. The location and orientation of the wedge osteotomy were determined based on CT data using computer-aided design software. After the tibial deformities were corrected, postoperative CT or radiographs were obtained to compare the achieved tibial limb angles with the planned angles. Clinical evaluation and radiographic follow-up were performed on all dogs. RESULTS: Guides were successfully positioned at each specific location, and osteotomies were performed without radiation exposure or observer assistance in all dogs. Tibial deformities were corrected with angular errors of 1.8 ± 1.4°, 2.3 ± 2.1°, and 2.6 ± 1.3° in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes, respectively. Mild complications resolved within 1 month in 3 dogs, and revision surgery was not required. Five dogs improved to the normal gait (mean, 14.8 ± 6.6 weeks), and 1 dog recovered a satisfactory gait 24 weeks after surgery. All limbs healed 14 ± 4.7 weeks after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Patient-specific 3-D-printed osteotomy, reduction, and compression guides can provide effective assistance allowing accurate correction of tibial deformities. Their use yields good clinical outcomes in small-breed dogs.

Urban Planning and Smart City Decision Management Empowered by Real-Time Data Processing Using Big Data Analytics.

The Internet of Things (IoT), inspired by the tremendous growth of connected heterogeneous devices, has pioneered the notion of smart city. Various components, i.e., smart transportation, smart community, smart healthcare, smart grid, etc. which are integrated within smart city architecture aims to enrich the quality of life (QoL) of urban citizens. However, real-time processing requirements and exponential data growth withhold smart city realization. Therefore, herein we propose a Big Data analytics (BDA)-embedded experimental architecture for smart cities. Two major aspects are served by the BDA-embedded smart city. Firstly, it facilitates exploitation of urban Big Data (UBD) in planning, designing, and maintaining smart cities. Secondly, it occupies BDA to manage and process voluminous UBD to enhance the quality of urban services. Three tiers of the proposed architecture are liable for data aggregation, real-time data management, and service provisioning. Moreover, offline and online data processing tasks are further expedited by integrating data normalizing and data filtering techniques to the proposed work. By analyzing authenticated datasets, we obtained the threshold values required for urban planning and city operation management. Performance metrics in terms of online and offline data processing for the proposed dual-node Hadoop cluster is obtained using aforementioned authentic datasets. Throughput and processing time analysis performed with regard to existing works guarantee the performance superiority of the proposed work. Hence, we can claim the applicability and reliability of implementing proposed BDA-embedded smart city architecture in the real world.