The medical records of dogs receiving surgery for unilateral patellar ligament rupture between 1999 and 2012 at 12 multidisciplinary referral centres were reviewed. Forty-three cases were identified; 26 were traumatic in origin; almost one-third were iatrogenic, of which over three-quarters occurred as a complication following surgical stabilisation of patellar luxation. Treatment involved primary reapposition of the ligament (36 cases). The repair was protected by circumpatellar and/or transpatellar loop(s) of orthopaedic wire, nylon, polypropylene or polydioxanone suture (34 cases). Wire loops were more likely to require surgical removal compared with loops of other materials (P=0.0014). The stifle joint was immobilised postoperatively by the applications of a transarticular external skeletal fixator (taESF) in 17 cases and by external coaptation (EC) in 8 cases; in 18 cases, no postoperative joint immobilisation was provided. Complications specific to the method of immobilisation occurred in seven of the cases with taESF and six of the cases with EC. Revision surgery to address failure of repair was required in five cases. Outcome was classified as acceptable or good in over three-quarters of the cases (31/40) and poor in less than a quarter (9/40). These data highlight patellar ligament rupture as a complication of surgical stabilisation of patellar luxation.
Gabapentin has been widely used in human medicine to control acute and chronic pain. Although the exact mechanism of action has yet to be determined, its use in veterinary medicine is increasing. The clinical use of gabapentin for analgesia in cats has been reported in review articles and one case report. Managing chronic pain, particularly in the feline patient, poses a challenge to veterinary surgeons. This report details the long-term use of gabapentin for musculoskeletal pain or head trauma in three cats. All cats received gabapentin for several months at an average dose of 6.5 mg/kg q12h. Clinical signs suggestive of pain, such as aggression, avoiding human interaction and loss of appetite, were observed to decrease with the administration of gabapentin, used as part of an analgesia regime or as sole medication. Long-term follow-up with the owners of all cats indicated that satisfactory pain management was achieved, administration was easy and no obvious side effects during the period of administration occurred. We conclude that long-term treatment with gabapentin is of potential benefit in controlling pain in cases of head trauma, as well as musculoskeletal disease. It may provide a valuable adjunct for the management of chronic pain in cats and should be investigated further for its clinical use and safety.
These results provide valuable information regarding the effect of the Sirius system on ex vivo kinematics of the normal canine elbow joint. Further, this particular ex vivo model allowed for satisfactory and repeatable kinematic analysis.
The management of failed surgical procedures involving osteotomy for tibial tuberosity advancement can be demanding due to the limited available bone stock, which must be large enough to counteract the powerful proximal and cranial distractive forces exerted by the quadriceps mechanism. Initial mode of failure may be related to implant failure, fracture of the tibial tuberosity, or a combination of both. The complications and management of the cases reported here were all associated with avulsion fracture of the tibial tuberosity following tibial tuberosity advancement. In all cases, a cranial tibial dynamic compression plate was applied to reduce the fractures and stabilize the osteotomy. No further major complications associated with the implants or fracture occurred. Radiographic evidence of progression of fracture healing was documented in all four cases at the six to eight-week postoperative follow-up. Long-term follow-up information was available for three out of four cases at nine to 23 months after surgery by telephone interview and validated owner questionnaires. Owners reported return to normal exercise with intermittent lameness occurring in two of the three cases. The authors concluded that this technique offers an alternative technique for the management of such fractures, in particular in large breed dogs where sufficient tibial tuberosity bone stock remains.
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