Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with crooked, short thigh bone fixed and lengthened with circular
By Coutin, Julia V et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2013·Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bifocal femoral deformity correction and lengthening using a circular fixator construct in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-month-old male Rottweiler was brought in for limping on his right hind leg due to a poorly healed fracture. X-rays and a CT scan showed that his right femur was not only bent but also shorter than the other leg. To fix this, the vet performed surgery to correct the bone's shape and then used a special device to gradually lengthen the femur over 53 days. After 14 months, the dog still had a slight limp and an uneven gait, but the surgery helped improve his leg's length and alignment.
People also search for: dog limping after fracture · Rottweiler leg surgery recovery · femur lengthening in dogs
Abstract
A 7 mo old male rottweiler was evaluated for a right hind limb lameness caused by malunion of a Salter-Harris type II fracture. Radiographs and computed tomography (CT) revealed that the right distal femur had valgus, procurvatum, external rotation, and was 35% (70 mm) shorter than the contralateral femur. Distal femoral wedge ostectomies were performed to acutely correct the angular and rotational deformities. Lengthening of the femur was accomplished by distraction osteogenesis performed over 53 days at a second, proximal diaphyseal osteotomy using a circular fixator construct. This bifocal approach yielded approximately 30 mm of femoral lengthening and a confluent column of regenerate bone that bridged the distraction gap. When evaluated 14 mo after surgery, the dog held the right hip, stifle, and hock in a slightly extended posture when standing and had a subtle asymmetric hind limb gait. The stride of the right hind limb was slightly shortened with compensatory circumduction of the left hind limb during the swing phase of the stride.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23535751/