Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cartilage damage after elbow surgery in six young dogs
By Bräuer, S & Böttcher, P·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2015·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Focal humero-ulnar impingement following subtotal coronoid ostectomy in six dogs with fragmented medial coronoid process.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six young dogs, all around 7.5 months old, experienced ongoing lameness after surgery to remove a piece of bone in their elbows due to a condition called fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP). After the surgery, a follow-up examination revealed damage to the cartilage in their elbow joints, indicating a problem known as humero-ulnar impingement. This suggests that the surgery may have caused additional issues in some dogs, possibly due to how much bone was removed or other joint problems. Further research is needed to understand these complications better.
People also search for: dog elbow surgery recovery · dog lameness after surgery · fragmented coronoid process treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report acute eburnation of joint cartilage at the humeral trochlea following subtotal coronoid ostectomy (SCO) in a clinical case series of six elbows. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six dogs (median BW 27.1 kg; median age 7.5 months) with fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP) and varying degree of radio-ulnar incongruence (RUI) (mean 2 mm) were treated with SCO using an arthroscopic burr. Second look arthroscopy 4-12 weeks later was performed either because of recurrent or persistent lameness in three dogs. In the others, second-look arthroscopy was scheduled prospectively because of RUI, which was thought to be a risk factor for the observed humero-ulnar impingement. RESULTS: All six elbows had a 1-2 mm wide line of focal full-thickness cartilage loss along the edge of the SCO, while the opposing trochlea had diffuse cartilage damage of Outerbridge grade III-IV, indicating focal humero-ulnar impingement. None of the elbows showed repeated FCP. CONCLUSION: In some cases SCO might lead to focal humero-ulnar impingement along the osteotomy line. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Whether this relays to variations in respect the amount of resected bone (too much vs. too less) or concomitant joint pathologies like RUI or joint instability remains unknown and warrants further studies.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26013600/