Effect of Distal Femoral Growth Plate Fusion on Femoral‐Tibial Length

Abstract

Unilateral distal femoral epiphysiodesis in seven 10 week old crossbred Doberman Pinscher littermates resulted in a significant (p less than or equal to 0.0001) femoral length deficit of 23.5% without clinically detectable alterations in gait up to 42 weeks after surgery. In addition to compensatory hyperextension of the stifle joint, the ipsilateral tibia showed significant (p less than or equal to 0.0001) acceleration in longitudinal growth. The combined femoral-tibial length at necropsy was still significantly shorter (p less than or equal to 0.0001) in the treated leg than in the control leg despite the increased tibial growth. Unlike other species, neither of the other two femoral growth plates produced any significant compensatory increase in length after fusion of the distal growth plate. The femoral condyles of the treated legs rotated caudally and degenerative joint disease developed in all stifle joints of the treated legs. No contralateral limb abnormalities were evident radiographically.

Assessment of Humeral Length in Dogs After Repair of Salter–Harris Type IV Fracture of the Lateral Part of the Humeral Condyle

“…In humans, there is apparently an influence of pressure on growth plate development whereby growth progresses more quickly in a limb when there is less pressure stress exerted on the physis 18 . In dogs, this theory has been proposed to explain overgrowth of the tibia after femoral shaft fracture 27 and premature distal femoral growth plate closure, 31 as presumably these dogs are lame after fracture and therefore have reduced weight bearing.…”

“…Some surgeons have previously advocated that the growth plate should not be penetrated by the implant to prevent premature closure of the distal humeral growth plate, 6,8 because insertion of screws perpendicular to the growth plate has been used previously as an effective model for inducing premature growth plate closure 31 . Although the screws in our dogs were not inserted at right angle to the growth plate, they would still be likely to cause damage and act as a mechanical epiphysiodesis bridge while compressing the physis.…”

Management of quadriceps contracture in a dog using a static flexion apparatus and physiotherapy

“…In order to reduce the main fracture fragments and to provide some immediate postoperative stifle flexion, the femur was shortened by transverse osteotomies of the ends of the main fragments, which added further rigidity to the repair by allowing load sharing between the implants and the bone. Femoral shortening is well tolerated in dogs; up to 25 per cent shortening was not associated with lameness in one study (Wagner and others 1987).…”

Compensatory Tibial Overgrowth Following Healing of Closed Femoral Fractures in Young Dogs

“…Compensatory tibial overgrowth is an idiosyncratic and sporadic response. Increases in localized physeal growth rates have been reported, not only in adjacent bones (1)(2)(3)(4), but also within the injured bones themselves (4,(9)(10)(11)(12). In cases of the latter, where one of the growth plates had closed, the undamaged growth plate(s) within the bone contributed a greater than usual amount to the total length of the bone.…”

“…In cases of unilateral femoral shortening in young, growing dogs, subsequent idiopathic ipsilateral tibial overgrowth is considered to be a mechanism of compensation (1). This compensatory tibial overgrowth response has been observed infrequently in dogs that had open reduction and internal fixation of distal femoral fractures (2,3) or intentional femoral growth plate fusion or disruption (1,4). Similarly, compensatory femoral overgrowth was observed in two puppies that had tibial shortening secondary to premature closure of the distal tibial growth plate, and wedge osteotomy at 3-4 months of age (5).…”