Effect of Femoral Head and Neck Osteotomy on Canines’ Functional Pelvic Position and Locomotion

The long-term effect of femoral head and neck osteotomy (FHO) on the locomotory system of dogs was evaluated. The study comprised an owner questionnaire and an orthopaedic examination, anatomical measurements, and pressure-sensitive walkway analysis for dogs. Linear mixed effect models were used for statistical analysis. Ten dogs with a median of 2.5 years since their unilateral FHO were included. According to the questionnaire results, nine dogs had returned to a normal physical activity level. Muscle atrophy (p = 0.005), less extension in the coxofemoral joint (p = 0.003), and less static weight bearing on the FHO limb (p = 0.003) were observed. No consistent pattern regarding tilt or position of the pelvis was noted when measuring height of the tuber ischii (p = 0.39). Five of the dogs tilted away from, and five towards the FHO side when measured from the tuber sacrale with a Myrin goniometer. No differences regarding stance time, swing time, or peak pressure between the FHO and non-FHO limb were seen in trot (p = 0.70, p = 0.26, and p = 0.91, respectively). Over the long term, the FHO limb has muscle atrophy, decreased coxofemoral extension, and decreased static weight bearing. However, this does not seem to affect the trot of the dogs. Dog owners considered the outcome of surgery to be good or excellent

Radiographic findings have an association with weight bearing and locomotion in English bulldogs

Background English bulldogs are known to be prone to skeletal problems, but knowledge is lacking of the effect of these problems on locomotion and function. This study was undertaken to report the conformational, orthopaedic and radiographic findings in a cohort of English bulldogs in Finland and to evaluate how these findings affect weight bearing and locomotion of the dogs. Twenty-eight English bulldogs were prospectively recruited to this cross-sectional study. An orthopaedic examination, measurements of conformation, static and dynamic weight bearing, and radiographic examinations of elbow, hip, stifle joints and spine were done. Results The English bulldogs carried a mean of 67.3% and 62.1% of their body weight in front limbs while standing and trotting, respectively. Front and hind limb lameness was seen in 20.8% (5/24) and 12.5% (3/24) of dogs, respectively. At orthopaedic examination, abnormal palpation findings (i.e. pain response, crepitation, swelling or subjectively decreased range of motion) were observed in a median of one joint (range 0-5) in each dog. Medial patellar luxation was diagnosed in 33.0% (8/24) of the evaluated dogs. At radiographic examination, elbow dysplasia was diagnosed in 48.2% (27/56) of elbow joints and severe hip dysplasia in 55.4% (31/56) of hip joints. The grade of elbow dysplasia was negatively associated with the ratio of static weight bearing between the front and hind limbs (slope estimate - 1.46, 95% CI - 2.75 to - 0.16, P = 0.03) and in dynamic weight bearing the ratio of total pressure index between the front and hind limbs (slope estimate - 0.088, 95% CI - 0.164 to 0.025, P = 0.03). The severity of hip dysplasia or hip osteoarthritis was not associated with the amount of static or dynamic weight bearing, but all except one dog were diagnosed with Federation Cynologique Internationale grade C, D or E hips (dysplastic). In the spine, 78.6% (22/28) of the dogs had at least one malformed vertebra. Conclusions Orthopaedic diseases and abnormal radiographic findings were common in the English bulldogs studied. The static weight bearing of the dogs was heavily distributed to the front limbs. With increasing severity of elbow dysplasia, the static and dynamic weight bearing shifted from dysplastic elbows to hind limbs.Peer reviewe

The Finnish Canine Stifle Index : responsiveness to change and intertester reliability

Background The responsiveness and the intertester reliability of the Finnish Canine Stifle Index (FCSI) were tested, and a cut-off between compromised and severely compromised performance level was set. Methods Three groups of dogs were used, 29 with any stifle dysfunction (STIF), 17 with other musculoskeletal disease except stifle (OTHER) and 11 controls (CTRL). All dogs were tested with the FCSI by the same physiotherapist at three occasions, at baseline, at six weeks and 10 weeks, and once also by another physiotherapist. Results Dogs in the STIF group demonstrated significantly higher (P<0.001) FCSI scores than in OTHER or CTRL groups at baseline. Only the STIF group showed a significant (P<0.001) change in FCSI score at all time points, indicating responsiveness to change. There were no significant differences between the evaluators (P=0.736), showing good intertester reliability, supported by moderate to good (0.78) intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The evaluator performing the FCSI did not have a significant effect when comparing the groups of dogs (P=0.214). The 95 per cent confidence intervals of the ICC per group were 0.79 (0.60, 0.91) for STIF, 0.83 (0.53, 0.96) for OTHER 0.78 (0.64, 0.88) for all dogs. A cut-off differentiating a severely compromised from a compromised performance was set at 120, having sensitivity of 83 per cent and specificity of 89 per cent. Conclusion The FCSI is a recommendable measure of dogs' stifle functionality.Peer reviewe

Kissan reisiluun keskialueen kokeellisen murtuman korjaaminen täysin biodegradoituvilla polylaktidisauvoilla

Työn tarkoituksena oli tutkia fibrillointitekniikalla valmistettujen polylaktidisauvojen soveltuvuutta kissan reisiluun varren murtumahoitoon ydinnaulaustekniikalla. Kokeellisesti aiheutettiin neljälle koekissalle sahaamalla reisiluun varren keskiosaan murtuma, joka korjattiin asettamalla ydinkanavaan polylaktidimateriaalista eli PLA:sta valmistettuja ohuita sauvoja nippuina. Tuloksia seurattiin määrävälein 24 viikon ajan kliinisestija röntgenologisesti sekä 24 viikon jälkeen lopetetuilta kissoilta irroitettiin reisiluut histologista ja leikeröntgenologista tutkimusta varten. Tuloksissa todettiin materiaalin soveltuvan hyvin murtumienhoitoon ydinnaulauksella, ei esiintynyt kudosärsytystä ja materiaali osoittautui riittävän kestäväksi. Ongelmallisena koettiin sauvanipun hankala asennettavuus leikkauksen aikana sekä se, että paranemisvaiheessa esiintyi murtumalinjassa kiertoliikettä ja taipumista. Edellä mainitut ongelmat voitaisiin välttää valmistamalla kookkaampia sauvoja, jolloin yhdellä sauvalla saavutettaisiin riittävä tukevuus murtumaan ja helpotettaisiin leikkauksen suorittamista. Kehittämällä ja tutkimalla valmistusmenetelmiä voidaan alentaa materiaalikustannuksia ja näin lisätä materiaalin käyttöä murtumien kirurgisessa hoidossa

Medial compartment disease in canine elbow : diagnosis and treatment by canine unicompartmental elbow surgery : review and a case report

Peer reviewe

Effect of Femoral Head and Neck Osteotomy on Canines&rsquo; Functional Pelvic Position and Locomotion

The long-term effect of femoral head and neck osteotomy (FHO) on the locomotory system of dogs was evaluated. The study comprised an owner questionnaire and an orthopaedic examination, anatomical measurements, and pressure-sensitive walkway analysis for dogs. Linear mixed effect models were used for statistical analysis. Ten dogs with a median of 2.5 years since their unilateral FHO were included. According to the questionnaire results, nine dogs had returned to a normal physical activity level. Muscle atrophy (p = 0.005), less extension in the coxofemoral joint (p = 0.003), and less static weight bearing on the FHO limb (p = 0.003) were observed. No consistent pattern regarding tilt or position of the pelvis was noted when measuring height of the tuber ischii (p = 0.39). Five of the dogs tilted away from, and five towards the FHO side when measured from the tuber sacrale with a Myrin goniometer. No differences regarding stance time, swing time, or peak pressure between the FHO and non-FHO limb were seen in trot (p = 0.70, p = 0.26, and p = 0.91, respectively). Over the long term, the FHO limb has muscle atrophy, decreased coxofemoral extension, and decreased static weight bearing. However, this does not seem to affect the trot of the dogs. Dog owners considered the outcome of surgery to be good or excellent