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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with fractured kneecap treated by arthroscopic surgery

By Bright, S R & May, C·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2011·Northwest Surgeons·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Arthroscopic partial patellectomy in a dog.

Species:
dog
Dog limpingMovement & jointsDogs

Plain-English summary

A 6-year-old female neutered whippet was brought in for sudden severe limping on her right back leg. X-rays revealed a fracture in the lower part of her kneecap that couldn't be fixed, so the vet removed the broken piece using a minimally invasive technique called arthroscopy. After the surgery, the dog recovered well and was back to normal exercise by the seven-month follow-up.

People also search for: whippet limping · dog knee surgery recovery · arthroscopic surgery for dogs

Abstract

A six-year-old, female, neutered, whippet was presented for evaluation of a severe, sudden-onset right pelvic limb lameness. The extensor mechanism of the right stifle was intact and there was periarticular swelling in the right stifle. Radiography showed a fracture of the distal pole of the patella. The distal fragment was approximately 25% of the patellar length and the fracture was deemed non-reconstructable. Fracture fragment removal was performed arthroscopically, which led to an excellent clinical outcome. The owner considered the dog to be exercising normally at the seven-month postoperative examination. To the authors' knowledge this report documents the first arthroscopically performed partial patellectomy in veterinary surgery.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21294733/