Repair of thirty-six fractures in dogs using the Mennen clamp-on plate: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: To report the use of a human fixation device, the Mennen clamp-on plate (MCOP), for fracture repair in dogs as the sole method of fixation, or in combination with another fixation method such as an intramedullary pin. METHODS: The study, which was performed to evaluate the use of the MCOP in fracture repair in dogs, included 36 cases that were selected between 2004 and 2008. The selected cases were all closed diaphyseal fractures, in which sufficient plate prongs could engage the bone on either side of the fracture. RESULTS: Of the 36 cases, 32 had excellent outcomes, and four had complications; these were two cases of fixation failure, one case of osteomyelitis, and one with mild sciatic nerve deficits. DISCUSSION: The MCOP is a promising method for fracture repair on its own for young puppies (six months or less), and in conjunction with other fixation methods in older dogs. It is quick to apply, as no screw holes are created and it achieved a successful outcome in 95% of the cases, provided the cases were appropriately selected for this method. CONCLUSIONS: Using the MCOP has produced promising preliminary results in this study and warrants further evaluation.

Muscle separation approach to scapular neck fractures in eight dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To report on a new surgical approach to scapular neck fractures. METHODS: A combined prospective and retrospective study of eight dogs that had sustained a fracture of the scapular neck between 1992 and 2005 was performed. All eight dogs had an internal fixation using a T plate through a muscle separation approach. Retraction of the supraspinatus from the deltoideus and infraspinatus allows an adequate surgical window to enable plating of the scapular neck. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent had an excellent outcome without any lameness or stiffness detected. The remaining cases experienced infrequent bouts of stiffness, or, in one case lameness. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The current literature recommends that the surgical approach to the scapular neck is by osteotomy of the acromion process, which is unnecessary in the authors' opinion as it increases surgical trauma, operating time and the number of implants required.

Fixation of humeral intercondylar fractures using a lateral plate in 14 dogs supported by finite element analysis of repair.

Fourteen Spaniels that presented with an intercondylar fracture of the distal humerus were managed using a lateral plate and an additional pin in twelve cases. Fixation of the fracture was achieved using a plate applied laterally which incorporated the transcondylar lag screw in the most distal hole. Of the 14 cases, two had poor results, one of which was a bilateral case, whilst the remaining 12 cases had good or very good results with only occasional stiffness or lameness. Finite element (FE) modelling of a distal humerus was generated, and loading of fracture repairs using a lateral plate and caudal plate was completed in a comparative study to determine which fixation method resisted micro-motion most effectively. Finite element analysis revealed that the lateral plate fixation provided significantly more resistance to micro movement at the fracture site that the caudal plate fixation, with 40% more micro-motion in the latter.