Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery fixes severe leg deformity in young dogs with femur fracture
By Kim, S E & Lewis, D D·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2014·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Corrective osteotomy for procurvatum deformity caused by distal femoral physeal fracture malunion stabilised with String-of-Pearls locking plates: results in two dogs and a review of the literature.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two young dogs were brought in for severe limping on their right back leg and trouble straightening their knee due to a growth plate injury that healed incorrectly. X-rays showed a noticeable bend in the femur and some shortening of the bone. To fix this, one dog underwent a specific type of surgery called a caudal opening-wedge osteotomy, while the other had a cranial closing wedge ostectomy, both stabilized with special plates. After surgery, both dogs showed significant improvement in their leg function and length, although the plates had to be removed later due to irritation. Ultimately, both dogs recovered well and had excellent mobility as they grew up.
People also search for: dog limping knee problem · puppy leg surgery recovery · femur fracture treatment in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This report describes the treatment of severe procurvatum because of distal femoral physeal fracture malunion in two skeletally immature dogs. CASE REPORTS: Both dogs presented with severe right hindlimb lameness and markedly reduced stifle extension at less than 5 months of age. Severe distal femoral procurvatum and mild-to-moderate femoral shortening secondary to distal femoral physeal fracture malunion were evident on radiographs. The sagittal plane deformities were addressed with a caudal opening-wedge osteotomy in one dog and cranial closing wedge ostectomy in the other dog. String-of-Pearls locking plates were used to stabilise the osteotomies. Functional stifle extension range of motion and femoral length were improved post surgery in both dogs. Explantation of the plates was required in both dogs because of local soft tissue irritation. Both dogs had excellent outcomes based on subjective and objective measures (pressure sensitive walkway, force platform analysis) when assessed at skeletal maturity. CONCLUSIONS: Corrective osteotomy stabilised with String-of-Pearls locking plates is a viable treatment option for improving limb function in dogs with severe procurvatum deformities caused by distal femoral physeal fracture malunion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24571342/