Ex vivo biomechanical comparison of 2.7 mm string-of-pearl plate versus screw/wire/Polymethylmethacrylate composite fixation and 2.7 mm veterinary acetabular plate for repair of simulated canine acetabular fractures

A Bilateral Acetabular Physeal Fracture Treated with External Fixation in an Immature Cat

This study aimed to assess the outcome of a bilateral acetabular physeal fracture treated with external fixation in an immature cat, a surgical technique not usually employed in immature patients. The fixator took 40 days, and it was removed after radiographic bone healing was achieved. No significant complications related to the technique were identified, and the outcome was classified as good based on the functional assessment and pain scales employed. The use of external fixation for stabilising acetabular fractures in immature cats should be considered a viable technical option, especially for minimally invasive stabilisation.

Case report: Corpectomy and iliac crest bone autograft as treatment for a vertebral plasma cell tumor in a dachshund dog

A 7-year-old, 7.5 kg, female spayed dachshund dog presented to a veterinary teaching hospital after being referred for lameness and the inability to urinate. The dog presented as weakly ambulatory paraparetic with intact pain perception. Computed tomographic (CT) imaging showed ventral bony lysis and periosteal proliferation of the L3 vertebra, consistent with a plasma cell tumor. A corpectomy of the L3 vertebra was performed and subsequently stabilized with autogenous cortico-cancellous iliac crest bone staves, autogenous cancellous bone, and bilaterally placed locking plates [String of Pearls (SOP®), Orthomed]. The dog recovered well, with no decrease in neurologic status overnight, and continued to improve until discharge. Upon a recheck exam at 4 weeks postoperatively, the dog appeared neurologically improved with only mild ambulatory proprioceptive ataxia of the hind limbs. This case demonstrates that the transposition of a non-vascularized iliac crest autogenous bone graft with stabilization via SOP® plates and screws can be used in the management of dogs with vertebral plasma cell tumors and should be considered as a surgical option in similarly affected cases.

Retrospective Assessment of Thirty-Two Cases of Pelvic Fractures Stabilized by External Fixation in Dogs and Classification Proposal

The goals of this study were to evaluate the outcomes of bone healing, patient comfort during the treatment, functional results, and complications in pelvic fractures treated with external fixation, as well as to propose a classification system for the applied external frames. A total of thirty-two canine patients with pelvic fractures of different origins were treated. To provide a better reference for the frames used, an alphanumeric classification system was developed, detailing the frame structure and the number and location of the pins used. In this study, eighty-six fractures were treated in the 32 patients of this work, with an average fixation time of 9.88 ± 4.15 weeks. No major complications were detected in this case cohort, and the outcomes were rated at 9.46 based on a visual assessment scale for the patient's comfort during treatment. Outcomes graded as excellent and good were 96%. The use of external fixation for stabilization of pelvic fractures should be considered as a technical option, especially for minimally invasive stabilization of complex fractures, either as a primary or secondary stabilization.

Ex vivo biomechanical comparison of four Center of Rotation Angulation Based Leveling Osteotomy fixation methods

OBJECTIVE

To compare the strength of four constructs used to secure an osteotomy in a Center of Rotation Angulation (CORA)-Based Leveling Osteotomy (CBLO) in an ex vivo model.

STUDY DESIGN

Ex vivo study.

SAMPLE POPULATION

Thirty-two canine tibiae from 17 skeletally mature cadavers weighing between 18 and 33.2 kg.

METHODS

Thirty-two paired tibiae with patella and patellar tendon were collected. Each tibia was randomly allocated to a construct group: plate and pin (Plate), plate with countersink compression screw (HCS), plate with tension band (TB), or plate with HCS and TB (HCSTB). Samples were loaded by distraction until failure. The stiffness, yield load, and ultimate load were compared between each fixation method.

RESULTS

No difference in stiffness of the constructs was detected between groups (p = .6937). Yield load for the HCSTB group (1211.06 N) was greater than the TB group (1016.41 N), the HCS group (907.20 N), and the Plate group (787.73 N) (p = .0069). The ultimate load for the HCSTB group (1387.82 N) was greater than the TB group (1076.36 N), HCS group (926.62 N), and the Plate group (774.35 N) (p = .0004).

CONCLUSIONS

CBLO fixation augmented with a TB and HCS provided a stronger construct that withstood a greater yield load and ultimate load than either augmentation strategy alone.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Augmenting a CBLO fixation with a TB and a HCS can provide increased construct strength.