Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Use of the Ilizarov method of distraction osteogenesis for the treatment of radial hemimelia in a dog.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Rahal, Sheila C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology · Brazil
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female crossbred dog was diagnosed with a condition called unilateral radial hemimelia, which means she was missing part of her radius bone in one of her front legs. To help her, the veterinarians first performed surgery to reposition her bones and applied a circular external fixator, which is a device that holds bones in place while they heal. After some time, they noticed that her wrist joint had fused together, so they did a second surgery to lengthen her ulna bone using a method called distraction osteogenesis, which involved another fixator. Finally, they performed a third surgery to correct the position of her paw. Overall, these treatments helped her use her leg better and improved her quality of life.
Abstract
A 6-month-old female crossbred dog with unilateral radial hemimelia was treated with a circular external fixator. During the first surgery, the dog underwent transverse osteotomy through the distal ulnar physis and rotation of the distal ulnar fragment (epiphysis) together with the forepaw in a lateral direction to achieve contact with the end of the proximal ulnar segment (shaft of the ulna); a circular external fixator was then applied. After removal of the fixator, a cast was applied. The initial intent was to preserve mobility of the ulnocarpal joint; however, the joint fused naturally. A second surgery was performed to lengthen the ulna by use of distraction osteogenesis. An Ilizarov external fixator was used, and the ulna was lengthened 25 mm. During the third surgery, osteotomy of the distal portion of the ulna was performed to treat residual deviation of the forepaw. The surgical treatment resulted in satisfactory use of the limb and a better quality of life.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15646574/