supported research

details + guidelines

The Society of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery (SVSTS) was formed in 2002 with the objective of advancing the art and science of soft tissue surgery through:

Encouraging members to pursue original investigations, report unusual cases, and discuss the diagnosis, management and advances of soft tissue surgical conditions
Encouraging its members to contribute to continuing education in soft tissue surgery and to report in high quality veterinary journals.

The SVSTS objectives support the use of our listserv to announce scientific studies and to acquire cases or data for research purposes. To be eligible to submit a proposal for supported research through listserv use, the primary investigator must be a member in good standing of SVSTS. If a trainee is submitting the proposal, a mentoring investigator and member of SVSTS must be included in the proposal. The current executive committee has the sole authority to approve study design and grant permission for supported research through listserv use.

format guidelines

Title
SVSTS member submitting the proposal, include institutional affiliation

1. Mentoring investigator, if applicable

Aims and objectives of the study
Background and significance
Detail of pilot work or preliminary results
Experimental Design

1. Brief description
2. Patient eligibility
  1. Species
  2. Disease criteria
    1. Disorder/injury
    2. Specific biochemical markers
    3. Specific diagnostic testing
    4. Other
  3. Health criteria
    1. Specific organ function (cardiac, renal, etc.)
    2. Blood analyses
    3. Other
3. Patient ineligibility
  1. Concurrent diseases
  2. Pregnancy
  3. Previous treatments
4. Treatment endpoints
  1. Disease resolution/recurrence
  2. Survival
  3. Censoring indicators (lost to follow-up, death for reasons other than specified disease or treatment, onset of ineligibility criteria)
5. Anticipated complications and outcome
6. Criteria for stopping treatment
7. Patient follow-up schedule and parameters to be measured at follow-up
8. Duration of study
9. Statistical design and power analysis of study

Notation that data collection form is included

SUPPORTED RESEARCH SUBMISSION FORM

Note: Proposals should be saved as Microsoft Word files.

active svsts supported studies

Active SVSTS Supported Studies

Project Title	Principle Investigator
Hand size and instrument use in veterinary laparoscopy	Dr. Nicole Buote, Cornell University
Comparison of clinical and radiographic findings to surgical findings of dogs and cats with suspected penetrating thoracic trauma for surgical planning	Dr. Vanna Dickerson Texas A&M University
Evaluating factors associated with various veterinary specialists	Dr. Josie Dornbusch University of Missouri

Published SVSTS Supported Studies

Analysis of patient outcome and owner satisfaction with double limb amputations: 14 dogs and four cats – Steven Magidenko and Dr. Nicole Buote, Cornell University (presented at the 2021 SVSTS Annual Scientific Meeting on Zoom)
Outcomes of dogs undergoing immediate or delayed surgical treatment for gastrointestinal foreign body obstruction: A retrospective study by the Society of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery – Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell, University of Illinois (presented at the 2019 SVSTS Annual Scientific Meeting in Asheville)
Characteristics and long-term outcomes of dogs with gastroesophageal intussusception – Dr. Janet Grimes, University of Georgia (presented at the 2019 SVSTS Annual Scientific Meeting in Asheville)
Recanalisation of a congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt previously attenuated with cellophane banding in a cat – Dr. James Crowley, University of Sydney,
Heath W McAlexander, Janet A Grimes, Sharon L Ullman, Grace Pei-Chun Lai, Megan Davis, Brett G Darrow, Vanna M Dickerson. Diagnostic and surgical treatment for traumatic bile peritonitis in dogs and cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2024;262:1-6
DOI: 10.2460/javma.24.01.0049
Chick Weisse, Kazushi Asano, Kumiko Ishigaki, Victoria Lipscomb, Cesar Llanos, Allison L Zwingenberger, et al. Anatomical classification of feline congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts based on CT angiography: A SVSTS and VIRIES multi-institutional study in 231 cats. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2024;65:359-368. DOI: 10.1111/vru.13363.
Weisse C, Fox-Alvarez WA, Grosso FRV, Asano K, Ishigaki K, Zwingenberger AL, et al. Anatomical classification of canine congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts based on CT angiography: A SVSTS and VIRIES multi-institutional study in 1082 dogs. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2024;65:702-712. DOI: 10.1111/vru.13415.
Spies K, Ogden J, Sterman A, Davidson J, Scharf V, Reyes B, Luther JK, Martin L, et al. Clinical presentation and short-term outcomes of dogs ≥15 kg with extrahepatic portosystemic shunts. Vet Surg 2024;53:277-286. DOI: 10.1111/vsu.14040.
J Coleman Wahlborg, Brianna L Grandprey, Stephanie L Shaver, Erik H Hofmeister. Friction knot terminology is inconsistent in veterinary surgery. Can J Vet Res 2025;89:26-31. PMCID: PMC11665728.
Stoneburner RM, Giuffrida MA, Scott JE. Laparoscopy and thoracoscopy in small animal surgery: A 2020 survey of small animal diplomate and resident veterinary surgeons. Vet Surg 2024;53:824-833. DOI: 10.1111/vsu.14123.
Buote NJ, Risselada M, Steffey MA, Scharf V, Winter A, Zamprogno H, Griffon D. Gender disparity in the impact of COVID-19 on childcare responsibilities and professional standing among specialty small animal surgeons. Vet Surg 2025;54:879-889. DOI: 10.1111/vsu.14254.
Austin EM, Cooper L, Grimes JA, et al. Scrotal hernias in dogs should not be ruled out based on castration status and may require enterectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2025 Sep 26:1-6. DOI: 10.2460/javma.25.06.0363

supported research

details + guidelines

SUPPORTED RESEARCH SUBMISSION FORM

active svsts supported studies

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