4 Dec 2024
Project leaders say the scheme is going from “strength to strength”, despite concerns over one form of surgery being under-represented so far.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Kate / Adobe Stock
A continuing audit of canine cruciate surgery procedures is going from “strength to strength” following a big increase in the number of operations recorded, officials say.
The latest annual report of the RCVS Knowledge Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR) revealed the number of procedures recorded soared by 79% in 2023 to 735.
Overall, more than 1,300 cases are now recorded and the project’s clinical lead, Mark Morton, said the volume of procedures means the whole sector can draw on its insights.
Mr Morton said: “It has been fantastic to see the CCR go from strength to strength this year with contributions from owners and vets across the country.
“Evaluating what we do and sharing this information with owners is really important. There is now sufficient data in the registry that vets can use the reporting functionality to see how they compare to anonymous data from the registry as a whole.
“This allows everyone to look at where we can improve what we do to enhance outcomes for our patients.”
Surgeries on 116 different breeds or recognised variations are now included in the registry, with the most commonly reported being the Labrador retriever, which accounted for 9.1% of all cases.
But, while the dataset is growing, Mr Morton acknowledged a “noticeable lack of data” from extracapsular surgeries, which currently account for a little more than 3% of the total, compared to around 91% of cases treated with osteotomies.
Mr Morton added: “The current discussions around contextualised care highlight how important it is that we have data from all treatment options for any given condition, as knowing the benefits of one procedure when compared to another is vital to decision making.
“In veterinary orthopaedics we are lucky to have this resource available to us. Please help this project grow by enrolling and continuing to submit cases, whatever procedure you perform, no matter how frequently you perform them.”
Clinicians who are interested in submitting cases can do so online. Cases logged by next summer will be part of the 2025 report.
