Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Older and lighter dogs have more complications after elbow surgery
By Danielski, Alan et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2023·1The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Lower body weight and increasing age are significant risk factors for complications following bi-oblique proximal ulnar osteotomy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs that underwent a specific surgery to correct elbow issues (bi-oblique proximal ulnar osteotomy) faced complications afterward, especially if they were older or weighed less. Out of 93 limbs treated, 39 experienced complications, with the most serious being nonunion (where the bone didn't heal properly) and delayed healing. The study found that lighter and older dogs were at a higher risk for these problems. This highlights the importance of carefully choosing which dogs should have this surgery to minimize complications.
People also search for: dog elbow surgery complications · older dog surgery risks · bi-oblique proximal ulnar osteotomy recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report and evaluate the risk factors for complications following bi-oblique proximal ulnar osteotomy (PUO) in dogs. ANIMALS: 82 client-owned dogs (93 limbs). METHODS: Clinical records of dogs treated with bi-oblique PUO over a 5-year period were reviewed. Postoperative radiographs were analyzed, and osteotomy location and angles were recorded; follow-up radiographs were reviewed to assess the degree of osteotomy healing. Complications were classified as minor, major, and catastrophic. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate possible associations between the predictor variables and occurrence of complications. RESULTS: 82 dogs (93 limbs) were included. Postoperative complications were documented in 39 limbs (13 major and 26 minor). The most common major complication was osteotomy nonunion (8 limbs), while the most common minor complication was delayed union (21 limbs). Statistical analysis revealed that lower body weight (P = .01) and older age (P = .04) were significantly associated with the development of postoperative complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this study, lighter and older dogs were more likely to develop complications following bi-oblique proximal ulnar osteotomy. We did not identify an association between osteotomy angle and location on complication rate. Careful patient selection is therefore required to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications after bi-oblique PUO.
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/37532238/