The use of a stifle flexion device to manage avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in a cat.

Abstract

This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of a traumatic avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in a three-and-a-half-year-old male neutered Domestic Shorthaired cat. Surgical repair was achieved using a modified three-loop pulley suture pattern passed through a suture anchor inserted at the point of origin of the tendon and around the fabella. A stifle flexion device was utilised during the postoperative period to protect the repair. Follow-up at five months showed a return to normal function. This is the first report of avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius in a cat.