Aldo Vezzoni

EBVS® European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni srl, Cremona
Degree in Veterinary Medicine in 1975, University of Milan, specialisation degree in Small Animal Medicine (S.C.M.P.A.) in 1978, University of Milan. Board Certified by the European College of Veterinary Surgeon in 1993 in Cambridge. In 1976 founded his veterinary practice in Cremona where he is working as a referral specialist in orthopaedics. President of the Italian Small Animal Veterinary Association (SCIVAC) in 1989-1991, Secretary of the European Society of Veterinary Orthopaedics and Traumatology (ESVOT) from 1993 and President from 2006 to 2008 and again Secretary from 2012 to nowadays. Editor of OrthoVetSuperSite, the educational website of ESVOT since 2007. Secretary of SIOVET (Italian Veterinary Orthopaedic Society) from 2004 to 2007 and President from 2007 to 2012. Member of the Technical Commission of the Italian Kennel Club from 2000 to 2010. President of Fondazione Salute Animale (FSA) and Chairman of the FSA Panel for Canine Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Official Control since 1995. Orthopaedic consultant at the Veterinary School of Vienna in 2010 and 2011, Associate Professor in Orthopedics at the Veterinary School of Milan from 2009 to 2017. Speaker in several national and international meetings and Author on orthopaedics, radiology, surgery. His main interests are early diagnosis and treatment of Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia and Joint Replacement. Recipient of the 2013 ACVS Merit Award in San Antonio, Texas, 24th October 2013, for his sustained and distinguished contributions to the art and science of veterinary surgery.
Aldo Vezzoni is speaking at the following sessions
A preventive approach to orthopaedic disease in young dogs
Lecture summary
Preventive medicine in the veterinary field is carried out for infectious disease with vaccine prophylaxis and for general health conditions with haematological check-ups. In the field instead of orthopaedics, there is still no preventive medicine culture among veterinary surgeons that allows identification of orthopaedic pathologies at their beginning through scheduled screening.
The current approach is still only of a therapeutic type, undertaken once the orthopaedic problem has manifested itself through persistent clinical signs. On the other hand, it is of fundamental importance to be able to intercept all orthopaedic diseases at their onset, before the arthritic degeneration that is their consequence has been established.
Osteoarthritis can be defined as a one-way street since once established it can only progress and never regress. Treatments whether pharmacological, surgical or physiotherapeutic can reduce or, at best, stop this evolution but never restore the original joint condition.
Early screening and treatment for hip dysplasia in puppies: Why and how?
Lecture Summary
Since hip dysplasia is a progressive disease that develops as the puppy’s skeleton matures, evaluation of the hip joints during growth enables the condition to be picked up at its onset and to determine, therefore, whether or not the dog will have dysplasia.
The first and foremost aim of early assessment of CHD is preventive: the detection of the first signs of hip dysplasia, prediction of its development and the possibility of, prompt preventive interventions to minimise or arrest expression of the disease.
Early screening and treatment for elbow dysplasia in puppies: Why and how?
Lecture Summary
Elbow dysplasia is a major cause of front limb lameness in medium to large breed dogs. Underlying causes of elbow dysplasia include ununited anconeal process (UAP), medial coronoid process disease (MCPD) and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the medial humeral condyle.
In view of a preventive medicine approach for all developmental skeletal diseases, early diagnosis is critical for successful treatment. Later in life, the degenerative joint disease could become severe and invalidating with a very poor quality of life, with limited possibilities of treatment. Early diagnosis of elbow dysplasia allows prompt surgical treatment, which is aimed at restoring joint congruity. As well, the progression of the disease and osteoarthrosis may be prevented or reduced.
Surgical approach to patellar luxation in puppies
Patellar luxation is one of the most common orthopaedic problems in the dog. Medial patellar luxation is more common (80%) than lateral patellar luxation (20%). Small breeds are usually affected by medial patellar luxation, but large breed dogs like Labradors, Rottweilers, Boxers, Bullmastiffs and Pitbulls can be affected too. Other large and giant breeds (Newfoundlands, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Caucasian Shepherd dogs and others) are more predisposed to lateral patellar luxation.
Surgical treatment of patellar luxation is a very common procedure but has a high percentage (20% or more) of failure and recurrence. Understanding the underlying predisposing factors for patellar luxation in each patient and addressing them with custom-made treatments can help in improving the success of the surgical treatment.
Early treatment in puppies can be less invasive compared to surgical treatment in adult dogs and can affect the residual growth to correct predisposing skeletal deformities.