Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog's infected broken thigh bone fixed with interlocking nail surgery
By Muir, P & Johnson, K A·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Interlocking intramedullary nail stabilization of a femoral fracture in a dog with osteomyelitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a broken thigh bone (femur) developed complications after surgery to fix the fracture. The initial treatment involved a pin and wire, but the pin became loose and caused an infection. After removing the loose pin, the vet used a stronger interlocking nail and screws to stabilize the fracture, along with a course of antibiotics. The fracture healed well, but 17 months later, the dog had mild lameness due to ongoing infection. The lameness improved after the implants were taken out and more antibiotics were given.
People also search for: dog femur fracture treatment · dog lameness after surgery · dog osteomyelitis treatment
Abstract
Complications developed in a dog that underwent intramedullary pin and cerclage wire fixation of a comminuted femoral fracture. The fracture was unstable, the intramedullary pin protruded through the skin over the hip, and Staphylococcus sp was isolated from the fracture site. The loose pin was removed, and the fracture was restabilized with a 6.0-mm interlocking intramedullary nail and 3 interlocking screws. Cephalexin was given orally for 6 weeks. Eight weeks after the second surgery, the fracture was healed radiographically. Seventeen months later, the dog had a persistent mild lameness that was associated with low-grade osteomyelitis. The lameness resolved after the implants were removed, and antibiotics were administered. In human beings, interlocking intramedullary nail stabilization is an accepted treatment for open and contaminated fractures. Chronic infection of bone may be attributable to bacteria in biofilm surrounding implants, necessitating implant removal for resolution.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8837646/