Use of a jumbo plate in dogs greater than 50 kg following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy does not prevent increase in tibial plateau angle through convalescence.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of a locking 3.5/4.0-mm jumbo tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) plate in maintaining the postoperative tibial plateau angle (TPA) in giant-breed dogs weighing > 50 kg and to report the associated complications. ANIMALS: Canine patients weighing > 50 kg that underwent TPLO stabilized with a locking 3.5/4.0-mm jumbo TPLO plate between January 2017 and May 2022. METHODS: Retrospective case series retrieving postoperative outcomes from the medical records. Healing scores and TPAs were calculated using postoperative and recheck radiographs. Owner-perceived outcomes were obtained via questionnaire. RESULTS: 24 stifles in 22 dogs were included. Postoperative complications were recorded in 11 of 24 cases (45.8%) inclusive of 1 minor, 1 catastrophic, and 9 major complications. A statistically significant increase in TPA over the convalescent period was found. Grade 4 healing was present in 18 of 24 (75%) stifles, while the remainder were scored as grade 3. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of a locking 3.5/4.0-mm jumbo TPLO plate did not prevent a statistically significant increase in TPA through convalescence. This procedure displayed an unacceptably high complication rate when compared with contemporary literature of TPLO. Despite a high complication rate in this patient population, most complications were successfully managed with medical and/or surgical treatment, and high mean and median healing scores were achieved at the radiographic recheck. Additionally, owner-perceived long-term outcomes were excellent.

Visuospatial skills are better predictors than dexterity for basic ultrasonographic and fluoroscopic skills in veterinary students.

Radiological skills including ultrasonography and fluoroscopy, require a combination of manual dexterity and visuospatial skill to develop competency. The ability to detect veterinary students with an interest in radiology but who are deficient in these skills, may permit more individual adaptations to training programs, allowing for students training in radiology to achieve maximal potential. The objective of this cohort study was to investigate whether innate dexterity and visuospatial skill could be used to predict performance of basic ultrasound and fluoroscopic skills in veterinary students. Fifty veterinary students from the Ontario Veterinary College completed three tests of visuospatial ability, two tests of manual dexterity, a three-dimensional mouse task, an ultrasound skill-testing task, and a fluoroscopic skill-testing task. Students who reported chopstick use completed the non-dominant hand ultrasound task significantly faster than students who did not (P = 0.001). There was a significant positive association between scores on the Mental Rotations Test and time to complete the non-dominant hand ultrasound task (P = 0.011) and fluoroscopy task (P = 0.029). No variables were associated with time to complete the dominant hand ultrasound task. The results of this study suggest that visuospatial skill, as assessed by the Mental Rotations Test, is a better predictor of baseline ultrasound and endovascular fluoroscopy skill than dexterity, with the exception of reported chopstick use, in veterinary students. Visuospatial skills can be developed and may be useful to include in the veterinary curriculum for students that are deficient, or students entering a field such as diagnostic imaging.

Investigating the impact of innate dexterity skills and visuospatial aptitude on the performance of baseline laparoscopic skills in veterinary students.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if manual dexterity and visuospatial skills can be used to predict baseline laparoscopic surgery skills in veterinary students. STUDY DESIGN: Pilot study. METHODS: Veterinary students (n = 45) from years 1-4 volunteered for this study. An hour-long electronic questionnaire was completed by participants. The first section was used to collect demographics and information about prior nonsurgical experiences. The second section included 3 tests of visuospatial skills, including the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test, Mental Rotations Test, and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test. Multiple tests were administered to assess innate dexterity, including the grooved pegboard test, indirect and direct zigzag tracking tests, and the 3Dconnexion proficiency test. Each dexterity test was performed once with the left hand and once with the right hand. The order of task performance was randomized. Basic laparoscopic skills were assessed using the validated fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) peg transfer task. RESULTS: There was an association between left-handed grooved pegboard scores (95% CI -10046.36 to -1636.53, P-value = .008) and left-handed indirect zigzag tracking task (95% CI -35.78 to -8.20, P-value = .003) with FLS peg transfer scores. Individuals who reported playing videogames achieved higher scores on the FLS peg transfer task than those without videogame experience (95% CI 583.59 to 3509.97, P-value = .007). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that dexterity was a better predictor of baseline laparoscopic skills than visuospatial skills in veterinary students.