A morphometric study on the cross–sections of the scapular spine in dogs

Abstract

In cases of unstable scapular body fractures, the base of the scapular spine is one of the sites where there is adequate bone for the application of plate fixation in dogs. In this type of fixation, the amount of bone is an important factor with regard to the holding power of the screw from the biomechanical viewpoint. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present the detailed quantitative features of the sectional area of the scapular spine in dogs. A total of 28 scapulas from 14 dogs were used, and each was divided into 10 equal slices The height of the scapular spine, depths of the supra-spinous and infraspinus fossae were measured from the scanned images with the aid of a computer program. The results showed that the depth of the supraspinous fossa was greater in the ventral half of the spine, while the depth of the infraspinous was greater in the dorsal half. The differences between the depths of the two fossae were noticeable in the ventral half of the scapular spine.