Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical methods compared for bone healing in dog elbow disease
By Pettitt, R A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2009·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of surgical technique on radiographic fusion of the anconeus in the treatment of ununited anconeal process.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-month-old dog with a condition called ununited anconeal process (a bone issue in the elbow) was treated with two different surgical methods to see which worked better for healing. One group of dogs had a standard surgery, while another group had the same surgery plus an additional internal fixation to help stabilize the bone. The results showed that more dogs in the group with the extra fixation had successful healing on X-rays compared to those who only had the standard surgery. This suggests that adding the fixation could lead to better long-term recovery for dogs with this condition.
People also search for: dog elbow surgery recovery · ununited anconeal process treatment · dog bone healing surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if internal fixation of the anconeus combined with a proximal ulnar osteotomy was more likely to result in fusion of the anconeus to the ulna compared with a proximal ulnar osteotomy alone. METHODS: A total of 12 orthopaedic referral clinics reviewed their clinical databases for cases of ununited anconeal process. Demographic and clinical parameters were collected along with radiographic follow-up at a minimum of four weeks. Cases treated with proximal ulnar osteotomy alone were compared with those treated with proximal ulnar osteotomy + internal fixation. Both groups were compared for background and disease variables. We tested for an association between treatment method and whether radiographic anconeal union had occurred. RESULTS: A total of 47 elbows (44 dogs) were identified. Of these, 28 cases (average age 7.6 months) were treated with proximal ulnar osteotomy (of which eight were stabilised with an intramedullary pin) alone. Nineteen cases (average age 7.1 months) were treated with proximal ulnar osteotomy + internal fixation. The two groups were not significantly different in age (P=0.638, Mann-Whitney U test). Fourteen of 28 cases with proximal ulnar osteotomy alone displayed anconeal union at follow-up compared with 16 of 19 cases of proximal ulnar osteotomy + internal fixation, and this difference was statistically significant (P=0.029, Fisher's exact test). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These data suggest that use of a lag screw to stabilise and compress the ununited anconeal process in addition to proximal ulnar osteotomy produces a better radiographic outcome. It is argued that radiographic union of the anconeus is likely to be associated with better long-term clinical outcome but further studies are required to confirm this.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19796314/