Lasha-Giorgi Japaridze’s visit to Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni in Italy

Lasha-Giorgi Japaridze, Head Veterinarian at Veterinarium and a PhD candidate at the Agricultural University of Georgia, is currently undertaking his second 2-week research visit to Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni in Italy, founded by Dr. Aldo Vezzoni. 

During the visit, he is working alongside Dr. Aldo Vezzoni, founder and Chief Veterinarian of one of the world’s leading veterinary orthopaedic clinics, on:

• his doctoral research
• a new scientific paper

Lasha-Giorgi’s doctoral research addresses a critical and underexplored issue in veterinary orthopaedics: the systematic evaluation of femoral stress shielding in dogs following total hip arthroplasty using the Zurich Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty system (Z-THA).

Although stress shielding is well documented in human orthopaedics, corresponding data in veterinary medicine remain extremely limited. This knowledge gap has substantial clinical implications. Veterinary surgeons currently lack evidence-based data that would allow them to accurately assess the incidence, severity, and progression of femoral stress shielding. This limits their ability to select the optimal implant, improve the accuracy of surgical planning, and prevent postoperative complications.

By directly addressing this knowledge gap, the doctoral research is both timely and highly relevant to the rapidly evolving field of companion animal orthopaedics. It will be the first systematic, comprehensive, and large-scale analysis of its kind, replacing assumptions with evidence. 

During the visit, Lasha-Giorgi has access to Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni’s extensive clinical database, comprising thousands of surgical procedures. Following a thorough review of the database, he selected 240 clinical cases and 600 radiographic images for inclusion in his doctoral research.

The next stages of the research will include:

• analysing the radiographic images using Horos DICOM Viewer and vPOP-Pro preoperative planning software
• Stratification of the clinical cases according to the patients’ breed, sex, and age at the time of surgery, with patients divided into two age groups: under 1 year and over 1 year. This will help identify potential risk factors associated with the development of femoral stress shieldin
• performing statistical analysis and interpreting the findings in the context of the existing veterinary orthopaedic literature

Alongside his research activities, Lasha-Giorgi also participated in orthopaedic procedures performed by Dr. Vezzoni, assisting him in surgery throughout the visit. Working directly in the operating theatre with one of the world’s leading veterinary orthopaedic surgeons gives him an invaluable opportunity to further advance his expertise, gain insight into contemporary approaches to complex case management and surgical techniques, and integrate this experience into clinical practice at Veterinarium and veterinary education at the Agricultural University of Georgia. 

Lasha-Giorgi first visited Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni in September 2024 at Dr. Vezzoni’s invitation. During that initial visit, Dr. Vezzoni and Lasha-Giorgi defined the direction of his future doctoral research and formulated its central hypothesis.

Both the initial and current research visits were made possible through the financial support of the Kakha Bendukidze Knowledge Fund and the Veterinarium Staff Development Fund.