Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How hybrid fixators helped heal leg fractures in dogs and cats
By Kirkby, Kristin A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2008·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management of humeral and femoral fractures in dogs and cats with linear- circular hybrid external skeletal fixators.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 21 dogs and 5 cats with broken bones in their upper or lower limbs were treated using a special type of external fixator to help stabilize the fractures. Most of the pets healed well, with 22 out of 24 fractures showing signs of healing on follow-up X-rays, taking an average of about 110 days to do so. While some pets experienced minor irritation at the pin sites, the overall recovery was positive, with most animals rated as having excellent or good outcomes after several months. This method proved effective for stabilizing fractures, especially those near joints.
People also search for: dog broken leg treatment · cat femur fracture recovery · external fixator for dog fractures
Abstract
Linear-circular hybrid fixators were used to stabilize humeral and femoral fractures in 21 dogs and five cats. Twenty-two of 24 fractures with sufficient follow-up radiographic evaluation obtained union. Time to radiographic union ranged from 25 to 280 days (mean +/- standard deviation [SD] 110+/-69 days; median 98 days). Eleven animals developed minor and two dogs developed major pin and/or wire tract inflammation. Functional outcome was rated as excellent (n=16), good (n=5), and fair (n=3) at the time of final long-term assessment (range 4.5 to 60.0 months; mean +/- SD 28.4+/-15.4 months; median 28.5 months). Follow-up information was unavailable for two animals. Hybrid fixators were useful constructs for stabilization of humeral and femoral fractures, particularly fractures with short, juxta-articular fracture segments.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18593855/