Inverted supracondylar femoral dynamic compression plates for revision of construct failure following tibial cranial closing wedge ostectomy in three dogs.

Construct failure is a rare complication of tibial cranial closing wedge ostectomy for the management of cranial cruciate ligament disease. Construct failure can present significant challenges for reconstruction. This case report describes three dogs with construct failure which were successfully revised by the repurposing of an inverted femoral supracondylar femoral plate as part of the revision.

Risk Factors Associated with Plantar Necrosis following Tarsal Arthrodesis in Dogs.

Objectives:  The aim of this study was to define landmarks of the intermetatarsal channel of the dorsal pedal artery and to assess whether damage to the dorsal pedal artery during metatarsal screw placement in dogs undergoing pan- and partial-tarsal arthrodesis (PanTA/ParTA) could be a mechanism in the development of plantar necrosis.

Study Design:  This study was divided in to two parts: (1) ex-vivo anatomical study: 19 canine cadavers, (2) retrospective clinical study: 39 dogs. Cadaveric dissection documented the mean intermetatarsal channel position.

Comparison of post-operative outcomes after open or closed surgical techniques to stabilize metacarpal and metatarsal fractures in dogs and cats.

Backfround: Treatment options for metacarpal/metatarsal fractures include conservative and surgical management. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is any significant difference in healing and complication rates, between open and closed treatment. Medical records of dogs and cats with metacarpal/metatarsal fractures with complete follow-up were retrospectively reviewed.

Defining a safe corridor for trans-iliac pin placement in cats.

Objective: To identify whether a theoretical predictable safe corridor is available in cats for placement of trans-iliac pins without the use of fluoroscopy.

Methods: Twenty-one cats with straight orthogonal normal pelvic radiographs were included. Two start points were evaluated: a midpoint and a dorsal point.

Establishment of Normal Mechanical Tibial Joint Angles in Dachshunds.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to establish breed-standard mechanical tibial joint reference angles in the frontal plane in Dachshunds.

Study Design:  Craniocaudal ( = 38) and mediolateral ( = 32) radiographs of normal tibiae from Dachshunds were retrospectively reviewed. The mechanical medial proximal, mechanical medial distal, mechanical caudal proximal and mechanical cranial distal tibial angles were measured on three occasions by two separate observers using previously established methodology.

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.

Comparison of a reverse-transverse cross pin technique with a same side cross pin type II external skeletal fixator in 89 dogs.

The objective of this study was to determine whether a novel reverse-transverse cross pin insertion technique could increase the stability of type II external skeletal fixators (ESF) in dogs compared with an alternate, same side cross pin ESF. Reverse-transverse cross pin technique and type II ESFs same side cross pin technique were applied and compared among subjects. Two of 42 ESFs (4.

Challenges and responsibilities of clinical teachers in the workplace: an ethnographic approach.

This study aimed to explore the complex role of the clinical teacher in the workplace, with a view to identifying effective teaching practices. An ethnographic case-study approach was taken, including participant observations and semi-structured interviews with three participants that were selected from two participating veterinary institutions. The clinical teacher has several responsibilities, such as establishing a rapport with learners and maximizing the use of case-based learning opportunities to provide instruction and support to individual learners in a safe but challenging environment.

Workplace-based assessment instruments in the health sciences.

A historical overview of the development of assessment instruments in the health sciences is presented here, with specific attention paid to workplace-based assessment instruments. Three instruments are reviewed in detail: the mini clinical evaluation exercise (mCEX), direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS), and multi-source feedback (MSF). Features common to these instruments include their authenticity, their use in assessing professional skills, and the opportunities they afford for the provision of feedback.

Time-series transcriptional profiling yields new perspectives on susceptibility to murine osteoarthritis.

Objective: Chronological age is a powerful epidemiologic risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), a multifactorial disease that is characterized by articular cartilage (AC) degradation. It is unclear from a molecular perspective how aging interacts with OA to produce this risk to AC integrity. To address this key question, we used in vivo time-course analysis of OA development and murine interstrain variability in natural susceptibility to OA to examine changes in non-OA-prone CBA mice versus OA-prone STR/Ort mice, which develop disease that bears significant histologic resemblance to human OA.

Enhancing clinical learning in the workplace: a qualitative study.

Workplace learning (WPL) is seen as an essential component of clinical veterinary education by the veterinary profession. This study sought to understand this type of learning experience more deeply. This was done utilising observations of students on intramural rotations (IMR) and interviews with students and clinical staff.

Clinical veterinary students' perceptions of a 'Day one' skills guide.

Veterinary schools in the UK are required by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to ensure that their students have attained essential 'Day one' skills (DOS) by graduation. To aid students' understanding of how they could satisfy this requirement, the Royal Veterinary College produced a DOS guide, which was distributed in the 2007 to 2008 academic year to students in the third and fourth years of the professional veterinary course. The same students were surveyed towards the end of the 2008 to 2009 session about the guide, when they were in the fourth and final years, to rate its usefulness and to indicate their perceived levels of competence, both currently and expected at graduation.

Approaches to defining day-one competency: a framework for learning veterinary skills.

Competency at graduation, in a variety of physical and attitudinal skills, is an essential outcome measure for courses training veterinary surgeons. The approach adopted by the Royal Veterinary College, London, to identify and define the expected skill competencies required of our veterinary undergraduates by the time of graduation is described. In addition, we demonstrate how this skill set was built into a framework that was aligned with other student learning objectives.

H1N1 infection in emergency surgery: A cautionary tale.

Pandemic 2009 influenza A H1N1 has spread rapidly since its first report in Mexico in March 2009. This is the first influenza pandemic in over 40 years and it atypically affects previously healthy young adults, with higher rates of morbidity and mortality. The medical literature has been inundated with reports of H1N1 infection, the majority found in critical care and internal medicine journals with a relative paucity in the surgical literature.

A candidate gene study of canine joint diseases.

Canine osteoarthritis (OA) commonly occurs in association with articular diseases, such as hip dysplasia (HD), elbow dysplasia (ED), or cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR). We hypothesized that a common genomic risk for the development of canine joint disease and canine OA would be identified by evaluating the allele frequencies of candidate gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in dogs with OA associated with different articular diseases when compared with a general population of breed-matched dogs. DNA was extracted from blood samples obtained from Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers surgically treated for ED, HD, and CCLR and confirmed to have radiographic evidence of OA.

Measurement of ulnar subtrochlear sclerosis using a percentage scale in labrador retrievers with minimal radiographic signs of periarticular osteophytosis.

Objective: To report the development of a measurement method for quantifying ulnar subtrochlear sclerosis (STS) in Labrador Retrievers.

Study Design: Prospective blinded study.

Sample Population: Radiographs of Labrador Retrievers elbows (n=30) with minimal radiographic signs of periarticular osteophytosis.

Attitudes of veterinary faculty to the assessment of clinical reasoning using extended matching questions.

For assessment purposes, clinical expertise is often divided into three broad components: scientific and clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and practical/technical skills. This structure can be used to define the tools used for assessment of clinical students. Knowledge can be assessed through a variety of written formats and skills through various practical assessments, including the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), but the assessment of clinical reasoning has proved to be far more challenging.

Veterinary students' attitudes toward the assessment of clinical reasoning using extended matching questions.

For the purposes of assessment, clinical expertise has been broken down into three broad components: scientific and clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and practical or technical skills. This structure can be used to define the tools used for assessment of clinical students. Knowledge can be assessed through a variety of written formats, and skills through various practical assessments, including the objective structured clinical examination.

Assessment: Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty? Evolution of final examinations at the Royal Veterinary College.

Teachers of veterinary medicine frequently regard assessment as a Cinderella subject. Consciously or unconsciously, they allow assessment systems to become faithful slaves, brought out and dusted off when required, out of sight and out of mind at other times. This often means that assessment is last on the priority list when educational development is considered.

LIVE: the creation of an academy for veterinary education.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new educational development and research program; to describe the vision which created the LIVE Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK; and to give details of the educational developments and research that have been pursued in LIVE since 2005. LIVE's purpose, to act as an "incubator" to help support all those interested in veterinary teaching and learning, and associated research, is discussed. The paper describes how the aims of the initial funding bid are being realized through the development of a multi-layered strategy.

The prevalence of canine patellar luxation in three centres. Clinical features and radiographic evidence of limb deviation.

The medical records of 155 dogs with patellar luxation (PL) from three different centres were analysed. Each case was classified according to the nature of its luxation and any concurrent orthopaedic conditions plus the age at diagnosis were also noted. Measurements relating to angle of inclination (AOI) of the femoral neck and medio-lateral bowing of the femur and tibia at the stifle were also recorded.

Epoxy putty external skeletal fixation for fractures of the four main metacarpal and metatarsal bones in cats and dogs.

The objective of this retrospective study was to report the clinical use, advantages, disadvantages, complications and outcome of an epoxy putty external skeletal fixator (EPESF) used for the repair of fractures of all four main metatarsal or metacarpal bones in a single limb in 11 dogs and 11 cats. The aim of this technique was to achieve satisfactory alignment of the proximal and distal joints and the digits, rather than anatomical reconstruction of the metacarpal/metatarsal bones themselves. All of the cases achieved fracture union and they all recovered fully without any residual lameness.

Effect of passive stretching on the range of motion of osteoarthritic joints in 10 labrador retrievers.

Ten labrador retrievers and their owners undertook a programme to determine the effect of passive stretching on the dogs' osteoarthritic joints, which had a restricted range of motion. The range of motion of the joints was measured before and after the 21-day study, during which the owners performed 10 passive stretches for a hold of 10 seconds twice daily. Goniometric measurements showed that the passive stretching had significantly increased the range of motion of the joints.

Digital analysis of ulnar trochlear notch sclerosis in Labrador retrievers.

Objectives: To compare ulnar trochlear notch bone radiopacity in Labrador retrievers with and without fragmented medial coronoid process using quantitative analysis of film density on digitised radiographs.

Methods: Mediolateral view elbow radiographs from Labrador retrievers (n=34) aged between six and 18 months were obtained and digitised. Images from dogs with an arthroscopic diagnosis of fragmentation of the medial coronoid process (n=17) were compared with that of a control population (n=17), and this data subject to statistical analysis.