Outcome following surgical stabilization of distal diaphyseal and supracondylar femoral fractures in dogs.

Signalment, clinical features, fixation techniques, complications, and outcome for dogs presenting with distal diaphyseal and supracondylar femoral fractures were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 45 dogs with unilateral femoral fractures were included. Supracondylar femoral plates were the most popular method of fixation. However, various fixation techniques resulted in favorable outcomes in most dogs with 19/45 cases achieving full function and 22/45 achieving acceptable function. Degree of fracture comminution did not appear to affect complication rate or be a surrogate for worse clinical outcome.

Résultats de stabilisation chirurgicale de fractures fémorales diaphysaires distales et supracondylaires chez le chien. Une étude rétrospective portant sur le signalement, la présentation clinique, les techniques de réduction de fracture, les complications et les résultats de chiens atteints de fractures fémorales supracondyliennes et diaphysaires distales a été réalisée. Quarante-cinq chiens présentant une fracture fémorale unilatérale ont été inclus au total. Les plaques fémorales supracondyliennes représentaient la méthode d'ostéosynthèse la plus courante. Diverses techniques de fixation ont abouti à des résultats favorables dans la majorité des cas, avec 19/45 cas récupérant une fonction complète et 22/45 une fonction considérée acceptable. Le degré de comminution de la fracture n'apparaissait pas comme étant un facteur de risque de complication ou étant associé à des résultats défavorables.(Traduit par Emilie Fauchon et Emilie Hanot).

Evaluation of primary wound healing and potential complications after perioperative infiltration with lidocaine without adrenaline in surgical incisions in dogs and cats.

BACKGROUND: Pre-emptive local analgesia with the use of lidocaine is practised increasingly in veterinary medicine as part of applied multimodal analgesia, despite its controversial impact on wound healing. The purpose of this prospective, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study was to evaluate if preoperative subcutaneous infiltration of lidocaine has a negative impact on primary wound healing of surgical incisions. Fifty-two companion animals (3 cats and 49 dogs) were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score I or II, a minimum body weight of 5 kg, and a planned incisional length of at least 4 cm. Surgical incisions were infiltrated subcutaneously with lidocaine without adrenaline or NaCl (placebo). Follow-up questionnaires for owners and veterinarians and thermography of the surgical wound were used to assess wound healing. Antimicrobial use was documented. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in either the total score or the individual assessment points between the treatment and the placebo group on the owner or the veterinary questionnaires in regard to primary wound healing (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). No significant difference was found between the thermography results of the treatment and placebo group (P = 0.78), and there was no significant correlation between the total score from the veterinary protocol and thermography results (Spearman's correlation coefficient - 0.10, P = 0.51). Surgical site infections developed in 5/53 (9.4%) surgeries and its occurrence varied significantly between the treatment and the placebo group as all cases of infection were in the placebo group (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that lidocaine used as a local anaesthetic did not affect wound healing in patients with ASA scores I-II. The results suggest that lidocaine infiltration in surgical incisions can be safely used to reduce pain.

Lumbar vertebral canal stenosis due to marked bone overgrowth after routine hemilaminectomy in a dog.

BACKGROUND: Bone overgrowth after decompressive surgery for lumbar stenosis resulting in recurrence of neurological signs has not been reported in veterinary literature. However, there are few cases described in human medicine. CASE PRESENTATION: A 13-month-old entire female dog, a crossbreed between a Springer Spaniel and a Border Collie, weighing 24 kg, was referred with a 5-day history of progressive spastic paraplegia, indicative of a T3-L3 myelopathy. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a right-sided L2-L3 compressive extradural lesion, compatible with epidural haemorrhage, which was confirmed by histopathology. The lesion was approached via right-sided L2-L3 hemilaminectomy and was successfully removed. One-year postoperatively the dog re-presented with pelvic limb ataxia. MR and computed tomography (CT) images demonstrated excessive vertebral bone formation affecting the right articular processes, ventral aspect of the spinous process of L2-L3, and contiguous vertebral laminae, causing spinal cord compression. Revision surgery was performed, and histopathology revealed normal or reactive osseous tissue with a possible chondroid metaplasia and endochondral ossification, failing to identify a definitive reason for the bone overgrowth. Nine-month postoperatively, imaging studies showed a similar vertebral overgrowth, resulting in minimal spinal cord compression. The patient remained stable with mild proprioceptive ataxia up until the last follow-up 18 months post-revision surgery. CONCLUSION: This is the first report in the veterinary literature of bone overgrowth after lumbar hemilaminectomy which resulted in neurological deficits and required a revision decompressive surgery.

Postoperative Complications of Double Pelvic Osteotomy Using Specific Plates in 305 Dogs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this clinical retrospective study was to describe the postoperative complications and associated factors of double pelvic osteotomy (DPO) using DPO plates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records were searched for dogs that underwent unilateral or bilateral DPO using DPO plates from February 2009 to October 2018 and were re-evaluated for a minimum of 1 to 2 months postoperatively. A variety of commercially available, specific DPO plates were used. Complications were determined during the immediate postoperative period and at the time of the clinical and radiographic re-evaluations done 1 and/or 2 months postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 458 DPO (226 right, 232 left) performed in 305 dogs satisfied the inclusion criteria. Double pelvic osteotomy plates from eight different manufacturers were used: Fixin (n = 160), Kyon (n = 154), New Generation Device (n = 63), Hofmann (n = 61), Veterinary Instrumentation (n = 12), DePuy Synthes (n = 4), Porte (n = 3) and Koenigsee (n = 1). Mean age of the dogs was 6.2 months (range: 5-8 months), and the body weight ranged from 10 to 47 kg. Overall, a total of 42 complications occurred in 38 DPO (8.2%). Complications included greenstick fracture of the ischium in 14 DPO (3%), isolated screw loosening in 13 DPO involving 16 of a total of 2,947 screws (0.5%), isolated screw breakage in 4 DPO involving 5 of 2,947 screws (0.1%), incomplete ilium fracture in 3 DPO (0.6%), partial caudal plate avulsion in 3 DPO (0.6%), iatrogenic sciatic neuropraxia in two DPO (0.4%), suspected surgical site infection (SSI) in 1 DPO (0.2%) and persistent pain and lameness caused by the implant in 2 DPO (0.4%). The case of suspected SSI and the two cases of persistent pain were classified as major complications (3 DPO, 0.6%), requiring medical and surgical intervention, respectively, whereas other 39 complications in 35 DPO were classified as minor, not requiring treatment (7.6%). CONCLUSION: Double pelvic osteotomy using DPO plates appears to be a safe surgical option for the treatment of hip dysplasia in growing dogs; no catastrophic complications were reported and the incidence of complications (0.6% major complications and 7.6% minor complications) was low. This study showed that DPO using DPO plates and proper technique was safe in 92% of cases. The only two factors found to be significantly associated with the development of complications after DPO were the laterality (left-sided or right-sided) and body weight.