Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with sudden chest bone dislocation treated without surgery
By Grady, Jesse et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2023·From the Department of Clinical Sciences (J.G.)·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful Medical Management of an Acute Traumatic Sternal Luxation in a Cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old domestic longhair red tabby cat was brought in after showing signs of hiding, urinating and defecating outside the litter box, and vocalizing when picked up. The vet found significant pain in the cat's chest and discovered a dislocated joint in the sternum, along with some fractures in the rib cartilage. Since the dislocation was stable and there were no serious fractures, the vet recommended pain relief and rest instead of surgery. A follow-up a year later showed that the cat was doing well, with no further issues related to the injury.
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Abstract
A 5 yr old indoor-outdoor domestic longhair red tabby cat presented for evaluation of a 1-day history of hiding, urinating and defecating outside the litterbox, and vocalizing when picked up. Physical examination revealed significant pain on palpation of the caudal sternum where an approximately 8 × 6 cm contusion was noted. Sedated thoracic radiographs revealed a luxated fifth intersternebral joint with the sixth sternebra being cranioventrally displaced (along with the seventh and eight sternebrae) to the level of the mid fourth sternebra. There were sharply marginated, short oblique fractures of the distal sixth costal cartilages bilaterally with mild dorsal displacement of the distal segment. The sternal luxation was palpated more aggressively once the patient was sedated and deemed to be stable. Because of the stability of the luxation and absence of sternebral fractures, conservative medical management in the form of analgesics and rest was instituted. Repeat thoracic radiographs 2 wk after presentation revealed an unchanged sternal luxation. Twelve months after presentation, the patient presented for an unrelated lameness and, in that timeframe, has exhibited no sequelae to the sternal luxation, which still palpates stable and is radiographically unchanged.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37167253/