Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone graft and growth factor help heal dog femur nonunion fractures
By Akagi, H et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2013·Department of Veterinary Science, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical efficacy of autogenous cancellous bone and fibroblast growth factor 2 combined with frozen allografts in femoral nonunion fractures.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of seven dogs with femoral fractures that wouldn't heal (called nonunion) received a special treatment involving a bone graft and a growth factor to help stimulate healing. After surgery, X-rays showed significant improvement in the healing process, with the fracture lines disappearing completely within six months for most dogs. While two dogs developed a bacterial infection, the overall results suggest that this combination treatment can be effective for dogs with challenging bone healing issues.
People also search for: dog femoral fracture treatment · nonunion fracture in dogs · bone graft for dog fracture healing
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of cortical allograft and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2)-impregnated autogenous cancellous bone in nonunion fracture repair in dogs. METHODS: From January 2000 to August 2010, seven dogs underwent cortical allograft and FGF-2-impregnated autogenous cancellous bone implantation for treatment of a femoral nonunion following fracture. Radiographic images were used to assess healing. RESULTS: The average length of the implanted cortical allograft was 29.1 ± 4.4 mm. A significant improvement in the postoperative percentage of femoral shortening was observed with the experimental treatment, from 85.2 ± 8.2% to 95.0 ± 4.8%. Using radiographic scoring, we analysed the process of bone remodelling. At three months post-surgery, the proximal and distal fracture lines had begun to disappear, and a complete absence was observed after six months. Bacterial infection was detected in two of the seven cases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The findings of our study suggest that the combination of cortical allografts with FGF-2 impregnated cancellous autograft may be useful in cases of diaphyseal fracture non-union. The disappearance of the fracture line in dogs with nonunion was recognized at the same phase as the report in which healing process of allograft was evaluated in the experimental ostectomy model using the normal dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23494141/