Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Limping and wrist deformity after skin flap surgery in German
By Mielke, Benjamin et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2018·From the Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bicipital Tendinopathy and Carpal Valgus Following a Distant Direct Thoracoabdominal Skin Flap in a German Shepherd with Necrotizing Fasciitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old German Shepherd was brought in for sudden lameness and swelling in the front leg. The puppy was diagnosed with a serious skin infection called necrotizing fasciitis, which required extensive surgery to clean the wound and close it with skin flaps. Unfortunately, three months later, the puppy developed worsening lameness along with a bent wrist and tendon issues. To address these complications, the vet performed another surgery to stabilize the wrist and treat the tendon problem. The outcome of this case highlights the potential long-term effects of severe soft tissue injuries and surgeries.
People also search for: German Shepherd puppy lameness · necrotizing fasciitis treatment · dog wrist problems surgery
Abstract
A 4 mo old German shepherd dog was presented following an acute onset lameness and swelling of the thoracic limb. Clinical signs, surgical findings, and culture results were consistent with a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis. Initial management consisted of extensive surgical debridement, wound lavage, and bandaging. Surgical closure was achieved with an axillary fold flap and distant direct single-pedicle thoracoabdominal flap. Three mo later, following deterioration of the lameness that was associated with carpal valgus, carpal subluxation, and tendinopathy of the distal radial insertion of the biceps brachii tendon, a closing wedge pancarpal arthrodesis and tenotomy of the biceps brachii tendon was performed. We hypothesize that extensive soft tissue trauma and subsequent fibrosis and tendon contracture following soft tissue reconstruction contributed to the complications seen. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of carpal valgus deformity and biceps brachii tendinopathy following a distant direct skin flap and axillary skin fold flap.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29757663/