Titanium Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing for the Repair of Long Bone Fractures in Dogs

Abstract

Background: Elastic stable intramedullary nailing has become a widely accepted, standard surgical technique for the repair of long bone diaphyseal fractures in children and adolescents however, references for its use in veterinary practice are still rare. Methods: The present study was conducted on ten clinical cases, selected randomly irrespective of their age, sex and breeds; diagnosed with long bone diaphyseal fractures. Titanium elastic intramedullary nailing was performed in all the cases. Clinical, orthopaedic and radiographic examinations were performed pre-operatively, just after surgery and at 15th, 30th and 60th post-operative days. Result: There was an increase in the mean weight bearing score during standing and walking from 0th day to 60th post-operative day. Post-operative radiographic examinations revealed increase in the mean values of bone formation score and bone union scores. The nails were removed easily in all the cases on 60th post-operative day. Five cases had complications; delayed wound healing (n=1) and slight nail migration from insertion site (n=4) which were managed conservatively and by cutting the extra lengths of the migrated nails. The clinical outcome on the basis of functional limb usage was excellent in seven cases, good in two cases and fair in one case. Overall, titanium elastic stable intramedullary nailing had good efficacy with respect to weight bearing in dogs without any systemic adverse effect.