Simini Surgery Review: Small Animal Edition
Welcome to the Simini Surgery Review: Small Animal Edition—your shortcut to staying sharp in small animal surgery. We break down the latest peer-reviewed studies into clear, time-saving episodes you can listen to on your commute, between cases, or while walking the dog. Focused, fast, and clinically relevant—this is how busy surgeons stay current without spending hours digging through journals. Produced by Simini, creators of Simini Protect Lavage—the non-antibiotic lavage designed to target surgical site risks like biofilms and resistant bacteria.
Simini Surgery Review: Small Animal Edition
Veterinary Surgery January 2026 – Ortho Part 2: Guided SI Fixation & The Elbow OA Evidence Gap
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In this Simini Small Animal Surgery Podcast episode, we continue our orthopedic coverage from the January 2026 issue of Veterinary Surgery with two studies that approach surgical improvement from very different angles: precision tools and evidence-based treatment decisions.
One paper introduces a novel table-mounted reduction and drill guide system designed to improve the accuracy of minimally invasive sacroiliac fixation. The other examines the quality of evidence behind surgical treatments for severe canine elbow osteoarthritis, raising important questions about complication risk and decision-making.
In this episode:
✅ Lopez-Barroso et al. — Evaluated a table-bound reduction and drill guide system for minimally invasive sacroiliac stabilization in cats. The reusable 3D-printed guide, stabilized by articulated arms attached to the OR table, produced 100% safe screw placement and 94% average joint reduction, with 82% sacral width purchase, dramatically exceeding typical thresholds for secure fixation. The setup also allows the surgical team to step away from fluoroscopy, reducing radiation exposure.
✅ Yu et al. — Conducted a systematic review of surgical options for severe canine elbow osteoarthritis, including sliding humeral osteotomy (SHO), proximal abducting ulnar osteotomy (PAUL), and canine unicompartmental elbow replacement (CUE). Despite more than 1,200 initial records, only 15 studies met inclusion criteria, and none provided high-level evidence. The CUE procedure showed reported success rates of 91–98%, but the number needed to harm was just 7.6, meaning roughly 1 in 8 dogs experienced a major complication requiring revision, arthrodesis, amputation, or euthanasia.
Together, these papers highlight two paths toward better orthopedic care: improving surgical precision through technology and strengthening clinical decision-making through better evidence.
🎓 Journal Articles Discussed
- Lopez-Barroso et al. — Accuracy of a table-bound reduction and drill guide system for minimally invasive sacroiliac screw placement in cats
- Yu et al. — Systematic review of surgical treatment for severe elbow osteoarthritis in dogs
📚 From the January 2026 issue of Veterinary Surgery
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