Long‐term outcome of a combined surgical approach for repair of femoral avulsion fracture of the caudal cruciate ligament in a dog

Abstract

A four-month-old male boxer dog was presented with a one-week history of acute right hindlimb lameness after an injury. Physical and radiographic examinations confirmed a femoral avulsion fracture of the caudal cruciate ligament. Surgical repair was elected using a combination of arthroscopy and arthrotomy to place a monofilament absorbable suture material through the parallel bone tunnels to reduce the avulsed bone fragment. The last follow-up examination 2.5 years postoperatively showed good to excellent limb function and mild periarticular changes.

Unilateral Repair of an Avulsion Fracture of the Caudal Cruciate Ligament Origin Combined with a Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament in a Dog

“…If fragments are too small to allow for implants, they can be stabilized with monofilament absorbable suture through parallel bone tunnels as described by Bourbos and colleagues. 16 Alternatively, a lag screw may be used for fracture repair but may cause more trauma to the articular cartilage due to its larger size and have a higher risk of fragment fracture.…”

“…Reported treatments of CaCL avulsion fracture in dogs include conservative treatment without surgery, 7 removal of the avulsion fracture fragment, 4 ligament reconstruction through femoral bone tunnels, 16 and fracture stabilization with lag screws. 17 18 Conservative treatment of CaCL rupture in dogs is reasonable if there is a lack of clinical signs and evidence of osteoarthritis.…”

Bilateral calcaneal epiphysiolysis in a Dobermann puppy presenting for a unilateral femoral fracture

“…14 Another documented fixation method of a calcaneal avulsion fracture was performed with two bio-absorbable pins that healed well with no pain or discomfort noted in daily life 2.5 years later. 9 Although avulsion fractures in dogs are seen commonly in the tibial tuberosity [15][16][17] and reported in various other locations, [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] very few case reports in veterinary literature have documented calcaneal epiphysiolysis. [30][31][32][33] In contrast to human reports, all of these cases have been bilateral and insidious in onset.…”