Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term problems after femoral head surgery in large dogs
By Ober, Ciprian et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2018·Department of Surgical Techniques·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of clinical and computed tomography findings to assess long-term unsatisfactory outcome after femoral head and neck ostectomy in four large breed dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four large mixed breed dogs had surgery called femoral head and neck ostectomy (FHNO) to relieve hip pain caused by joint issues. After the surgery, the dogs showed signs of ongoing pain, muscle wasting, limited movement, and persistent limping. Advanced imaging with CT scans revealed serious bone changes and issues with the hip joint that contributed to their poor recovery. One dog had a second surgery to try to fix the problem, but it did not help. This situation highlights that larger dogs may not do as well after this type of surgery, and more research is needed to understand these complications better.
People also search for: dog hip pain after surgery · femoral head and neck ostectomy recovery · large breed dog limping after surgery
Abstract
Femoral head and neck ostectomy (FHNO) is a salvage surgical procedure intended to eliminate hip joint laxity associated pain in the immature dog, or pain due to secondary osteoarthritis in the mature dog. The outcome of the procedure is associated with the size of the dog but the cause of a generally poorer outcome in larger breeds has not been determined. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term results of FHNO associated with unsatisfactory functional outcome by means of clinical examination and computed tomography (CT) scanning. Four large mixed breed dogs underwent FHNO in different veterinary clinics. Clinical and CT scanning evaluations were carried out long time after the procedures had been done. Hip pain, muscle atrophy, decreased range of motion and chronic lameness were observed at clinical examination. Extensive remodelling, unacceptable bone-on-bone contact with bony proliferation involving the femoral neck and acetabulum, but also excessive removal with bone lysis were observed by CT scanning. Revision osteotomy was performed in one dog. Deep gluteal muscle interposition was used, but no improvements were observed postoperatively. This is the first report on the evaluation of three-dimensional CT reconstructions of the late bone remodelling associated with poor clinical outcome in large dogs. The study shows that FHNO could lead to severe functional deficits in large breed dogs. An extensive follow-study is necessary to more accurately determine the frequency of such complications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29747677/