Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Femoral fracture repair complicated by vascular injury in a foal.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1984
- Authors:
- Rose, P L et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old Quarter Horse colt was found to have a serious fracture in his thigh bone, which was confirmed by X-rays. The vet noticed that the lower part of his leg felt cool and had weak blood flow, suggesting that the blood supply was damaged. They tried to fix the fracture with a special plate, but the colt's health got worse. Further tests showed that the blood flow only reached partway down the leg, and sadly, the colt was put to sleep. An examination after his passing revealed that a major artery in the leg had been cut, leading to severe damage in the lower leg.
Abstract
A comminuted, mid-diaphyseal femoral fracture was diagnosed radiographically in a 4-month-old Quarter Horse colt. Disruption of the distal blood supply was suspected, as evidenced by coolness and diminished pulses of the distal portion of the limb. The fracture was repaired by compression plating but the foal's condition continued to deteriorate. A femoral arteriogram of the affected limb was obtained. Positive contrast agent was visible only as far as the mid-shaft of the femur. The foal was euthanatized and the postmortem examination revealed a transected popliteal artery accounting for ischemic necrosis of the distal limb.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6490510/