Titanium elastic nail used for repair of radius-ulna fracture in dogs

Abstract

Two young dogs with history of traumatic injury were presented with primary complaint of not bearing weight on one forelimb. Radiographic examinations of the limb had revealed complete transverse diaphyseal fracture of distal third of radius-ulna in both the cases. The fracture in both the cases was repaired under general anesthesia by introduction of titanium elastic nail through the pre-drilled hole in the metaphyseal cortex followed by passing the nail through the medullary canal into the other fracture fragment after reducing both the fracture fragments by open reduction technique. Both the dogs had shown uneventful recovery with partial weight bearing on the operated limb in between 5th-7th and complete weight bearing at 60th post-operative day. The nail in both the cases was removed at 60th post-operative day after radiographic examinations which had shown callus formation along with bridging of both the cortices at the fractured site. All the physiological and haemato-biochemical parameters were found within the normal clinical range at different time intervals of examination. Overall both the cases had shown good clinical outcome without any local or systemic adverse effect.