Incidence of long bone fractures in birds: A retrospective study

Abstract

Long bone fractures represent a prevalent orthopedic condition in avian practice, and understanding their various types and incidence in birds is crucial for advancing surgical techniques in fracture fixation. This retrospective study, conducted at the Orthopedic Outpatient Unit of Madras Veterinary College from October 2022 to October 2023, analyzed 89 bird fracture cases. Incidence was assessed based on age, etiology, fractured limb, fractured bone, type of fracture, and fracture location. The study revealed that 64.04% of fractures occurred in the pelvic limb, while 35.96% were in the wing. Birds belonging to the Psittaciformes order were frequently observed, accounting for 40.45% followed by Galliformes 31.46%. Tibiotarsal bone fractures (43.82%) were most common, followed by radius and ulna fractures (16.85%). The majority of fractures were situated in the mid-shaft (61.80%) of the bone, with the proximal 3rd region accounting for 25.84%. Oblique fractures predominated at 49.44%, followed by transverse fractures at 44.9%. The highest incidence of fractures occurred in the 6 to 12-month age group (50.56%) and ceiling fan injury was identified as the primary cause in 52.81% of cases.