Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone plating with omental graft speeds healing in small dog leg
By Baltzer, W I et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2015·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Augmentation of diaphyseal fractures of the radius and ulna in toy breed dogs using a free autogenous omental graft and bone plating.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A small toy breed dog weighing less than 6 kg was treated for a broken bone in its front leg using a special technique that involved placing a piece of its own tissue (an omental graft) along with a metal plate to help the bone heal. Dogs that received the graft healed faster, with an average recovery time of about 70 days, compared to 106 days for those that did not. The dogs with the graft had no major complications and showed no signs of lameness months after surgery, while some dogs without the graft faced issues like bone weakness and re-fractures. Overall, using the omental graft helped improve healing and reduce complications in these small dogs.
People also search for: dog broken leg treatment · toy breed bone healing · omental graft for dog fractures
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of the short-term outcome, duration of bone healing, and complications following bone plate fixation in dogs weighing ≤6 kg, with and without the use of a free autogenous greater omental graft (OG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective clinical study reviewed the medical records of 25 dogs of body weight <6 kg with mid to distal diaphyseal fractures of the radius and ulna (29 fractures) treated with open reduction bone plate fixation. Thirteen out of 29 fractures were implanted with an additional 2-3 cm³ OG lateral, cranial, and medial to the fracture site, adjacent to the bone plate. RESULTS: Median time to radiographic healing in OG fractures (n = 11) was 70 days (range 28-98) compared to 106 days (range: 56-144) in non-OG grafted fractures (n = 14). The OG dogs had no major complications; minor complications included oedema, erythema, and mild osteopenia. Six of the eight non-OG dogs for which follow-up could be obtained developed osteopenia necessitating implant removal, four of which re-fractured the radius one to five months after implant removal, with one dog re-fracturing the limb a second time and resulting in amputation. Telephone follow-up of owners of OG dogs (n = 11) three to 15 months (median 10) post-surgery did not identify any signs of lameness or other complications. Owners of the non-OG dogs (n = 8) reported that there were not any signs of lameness six to 48 months (median 36) post-surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Free autogenous omental grafting of diaphyseal fractures of the radius and ulna was associated with radial and ulnar healing with minimal complications in dogs weighing less than 6 kg.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25703613/