Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term results of titanium screw surgery for elbow fissures
By Venzo, Giorgia et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Long-term outcomes and complications of titanium transcondylar screw placement to address humeral intracondylar fissures in Spaniel breed dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Spaniel breed dogs with elbow problems were treated with titanium screws to fix humeral intracondylar fissures, which are cracks in the elbow joint. While there were some minor issues like fluid buildup (seromas) in about 29% of the dogs, most recovered well, with only a few experiencing major complications such as infections or needing additional surgery. Long-term, most dogs returned to normal function, and the overall success rate was similar to other types of implants. If your Spaniel has elbow pain, this treatment could be a viable option.
People also search for: Spaniel elbow pain treatment · titanium screws for dog elbow issues · dog elbow surgery recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome and complications of titanium transcondylar screws to treat humeral intracondylar fissures in Spaniel breed dogs. ANIMALS: 39 dogs (55 elbows). Medical records (2013 to 2021) of dogs treated for humeral intracondylar fissure were reviewed. Dogs presenting with a humeral fracture on the same side or contralateral side were excluded. Collected data included signalment, lameness score, investigations, surgical technique, and complications. Long-term outcomes were assessed via an owner questionnaire, orthopedic examination, measurement of elbow goniometry, and pressure plate gait analysis. Statistical analysis was performed to identify risk factors that predisposed to complications. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Only Spaniel breed dogs treated via a mediolateral approach with a cortical 4.5-mm titanium transcondylar screw were included. RESULTS: There were no intraoperative complications. Short-term minor complications consisted only of seroma formation (29%). Major complications (30%) included surgical site infection (25%) and revision surgery (11%). Long-term major complications (3.6%) were 1 humeral condylar fracture and 1 implant failure, both on the same dog. Dogs with concurrent medial coronoid disease were more likely to develop a seroma. Elbows with seroma were more likely to develop an infection, with an OR of 1.705 (95% CI, 0.394 to 3.015). The long-term outcome was acceptable for most of the dogs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The complication rate of titanium transcondylar screws was comparable to that previously reported for stainless steel implants. The outcome was acceptable to full function for all dogs. A significant correlation was found between medial coronoid disease and seroma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40543596/