Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with swollen hind foot bone treated by bone amputation
By Nicetto, Tommaso et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2021·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tarsometatarsal stabilization after metatarsal bone amputation for treatment of an aneurysmal bone cyst in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in for severe lameness and swelling in his left hind leg. After imaging tests showed a bone cyst in the second metatarsal bone, the vet amputated the second and third metatarsal bones. However, this caused instability in the remaining bones, which was fixed by using a special suture technique to stabilize the joint. The cat made a full recovery and was evaluated multiple times over the next several months, with the joint remaining stable even after the implants were removed.
People also search for: cat limping left leg · cat bone cyst treatment · cat metatarsal amputation recovery
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 5-year-old 4.0-kg (8.8-lb) castrated male domestic shorthair cat was referred because of grade 4/5 left hind limb lameness and swelling in the region of the second metatarsal bone of that limb. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Computed tomography revealed an expansile osteolytic lesion of the second metatarsal bone associated with a periosteal reaction on the third metatarsal bone. There was no evidence of metastases. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Amputation of the second and third metatarsal bones was performed but resulted in medial instability of the remaining metatarsal bones. The instability was treated by placing a loop of 2-0 monofilament, nonabsorbable suture from a screw placed in the distal row of the tarsal bones to a tunnel in the proximal metaphysis of the fourth metatarsal bone. Clinical reevaluation of the cat 7, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 210 days after surgery and radiographic reevaluation 90 and 210 days after surgery showed complete recovery of the cat. The implants were removed at the time of the 7-month reevaluation. Clinical evaluation 18 months after implant removal showed the treated joint to be stable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The surgical stabilization technique described here provided medial stability of the tarsometatarsal joint after amputation of the second and third metatarsal bones. This method may be an alternative to arthrodesis while maintaining articular function in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34242073/