Supraglenoid tubercle fractures repair with transverse locking compression plates in 4 horses

Abstract

SGT fractures of various durations can be repaired in a wide range of horses with transversely positioned LCPs, and allow return to athletic function.

Outcome of Supraglenoid Tubercle Fractures in 12 Dogs

“…Fractures of the supraglenoid tubercle in the horse have been reported to be stabilized with a distal femoral locking plate cranial to the scapular spine or one or two transversely placed locking compression plates, although these pieces of literature involved small case numbers. 21,22 It would appear that plate fixation is a robust method of fixation if the fragment size is large enough in dogs and has been shown in one study to have a high successful outcome. 19 Of the two cases that had implant failure, one was fixed with a combination of T plate and a pin and tension band wire.…”

Treatment of osseous cyst‐like lesions

“…In the accompanying case report, Corraretti et al (2020) decided to treat the OCLL with a unicortical, trans-cystic 4.5 mm (50 mm long) self-tapping cortical screw placed in neutral fashion in a lateromedial direction across the OCLL without drilling through the axial trans cortex of the scapula to avoid iatrogenic damage to the brachial plexus and axillary artery and vein, with the intention to stabilise the cystic area and to promote bone healing. Given the reported poor holding strength of screws placed in the scapula (Ahern et al 2017), the narrow dimension of the scapula in a lateral to medial plane and the comparatively large size of the cyst (19 9 28 mm), the screw could only engage limited bone stock on the far side of the cyst, raising doubt whether biomechanical stabilisation of the cyst could contribute much to the successful outcome of this case. Based on biomechanical considerations, the possibility of pathological fractures through OCLLs described in other OCLL locations (Williams and Santschi 2017) and the reported scapula fracture configuration in racehorses, with 93% of fractures extending intra-articularly to the glenoid in the frontal plane (Vallance et al 2011), a craniocaudally placed screw would be biomechanically superior but complicated by the biceps tendon and the caudal location of the cyst.…”

Fixation of a scapular body fracture in a 5 month old foal using three 4.5/5.0 mm locking compression plates

“…These case reports noted a long convalescent period and limited success for athletic use 7–9 . Recent studies reported the repair of supraglenoid tubercle fractures and scapular neck fractures using locking compression plates (LCP) with a good prognosis for soundness 10–12 . However, no report has described the use of LCP for the repair of a scapular body fracture in horses.…”