Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sciatic nerve injury after total hip replacement in 1000 dogs
By Andrews, Chad M et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2008·Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sciatic neurapraxia as a complication in 1000 consecutive canine total hip replacements.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs undergoing total hip replacement surgery experienced a condition called sciatic neurapraxia, which affects the sciatic nerve and can cause temporary weakness or loss of movement in the hind leg. This complication occurred in about 2% of the surgeries, and factors like the dog's age and the length of the surgery were linked to a higher risk. Fortunately, all affected dogs fully recovered, although the time it took for them to regain normal function varied. It's important for veterinarians to be cautious during surgery to prevent this nerve injury.
People also search for: dog hip replacement complications · sciatic nerve injury in dogs · total hip replacement recovery time
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To report the frequency of sciatic neurapraxia (SN) associated with total hip replacement (THR), to determine outcome (recovery rate) after SN associated with THR, and to identify potential causes of THR-associated SN in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=786; 1000 hips) that had THR. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to determine the association with post-THR SN of the variables age, sex, breed, weight, body condition score, severity of presurgical pain, side (right, left), type of prosthesis fixation (cemented, cementless), duration of surgery, surgeon experience (chronologic order), traumatic presurgical luxation, and primary versus revision arthroplasty. RESULTS: The frequency of SN after THR was 19/1000 (1.9%). Two explanatory variables, age at surgery and duration of surgery, were significantly (P<.05) associated with increased probability of SN. Body weight (P=.09), traumatic presurgical luxation (P=.11), and revision versus primary surgery (P=.11) were marginally associated with increased probability of SN. All dogs with SN recovered fully. CONCLUSIONS: SN after THR is not uncommon and complete recovery usually occurs although the recovery time is highly variable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although SN associated with THR typically resolves, surgeons should avoid iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury during THR.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18394072/