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To evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) modified radiographic union scale for tibial fractures (mRUST), a semiquantitative scoring system, as compared with the subjective evaluation of radiographic union for staged TPLOs.Retrospective study.Forty-eight dogs, 96 stifles.Medical records were reviewed for dogs with bilateral cranial cruciate ligament injuries diagnosed at presentation that underwent staged bilateral TPLOs within 6 months and had both immediate and recheck postoperative radiographs. Radiographs were anonymized, reviewers were blinded, radiographic union was evaluated subjectively, and TPLO mRUST scores were assigned.The subjective evaluation's intra-rater reliability was 0.72 (Kappa 95% CI 0.65-0.79) and inter-rater reliability was 0.33 (Kappa 95% CI 0.28-0.39). The TPLO mRUST scoring system intra-rater reliability was 0.73 (95% CI 0.68-0.78) and inter-rater reliability was 0.56 (95% CI 0.41-0.68). There was no difference in the degree of bone healing quantified by the TPLO mRUST scoring system (95% CI - 0.1-1.2, P = .09) or subjective evaluation (P = .48) between the first and second side TPLOs. The TPLO mRUST scores were positively correlated with subjective healing (r = 0.94, 95% CI 0.92-0.96, P .0001, and for scores ≥10/12, 99%, 244/246) were subjectively assigned as radiographically healed.The TPLO mRUST scoring system improved inter-rater reliability compared to subjective evaluation of radiographic union.The TPLO mRUST scoring system should be considered as a semiquantitative supplemental tool for evaluating radiographic union.

The abdominal aorta and renal, visceral, and iliac arteries were evaluated in 16 patients with three-dimensional Fourier transform imaging enhanced with gadopentetate dimeglumine. By imaging dynamically during the arterial phase of a 5-minute injection (0.2 mmol/kg), highly significant (P < .0001) preferential arterial enhancement (signal-to-noise ratio +/- standard deviation, 10 +/- 0.9), with minimal enhancement of the inferior vena cava (5.1 +/- 1.4) or background tissues (fat, 4.3 +/- 0.7; muscle, 2.4 +/- 0.5), was achieved in every patient. In six patients with angiographic and/or surgical correlation, 10 of 10 stenoses and two of two occlusions were correctly identified. No in-plane saturation or pulsatility artifact was identified in any of the 16 patients. In conclusion, dynamic imaging during the injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine is a promising technique for evaluation of the abdominal aorta and branch vessels.

The rate and extent of solution of polyvinylchloride in ester plasticizers has been measured using infrared spectroscopy. The measurement is based on shifts in the carbonyl stretching frequency of the ester linkage, similar to the familiar infrared solvent shifts commonly observed for low molecular weight materials. Double beam techniques were necessary to record the shifts. The intensity of the shifted band increases up to gelation and the rate of increase depends on the temperature of heating. The intensity of the shifted band is directly proportional to the concentration of polymer dissolved in the plasticizer and can be used to measure this concentration at any time during the gelation process. It is estimated that from 17 to 22 per cent of the polymer was dissolved at the gel point after heating at 65°C. and that about 29 per cent of the polymer was dissolved at the gel point after heating at 75°C., for the plastisols used in this study.