OPEN REDUCTION AND BONE PLATE STABILIZATION, COMPARED WITH CLOSED REDUCTION AND EXTERNAL FIXATION, FOR TREATMENT OF COMMINUTED TIBIAL FRACTURES - 47 CASES (1980-1995) IN DOGS

Objective-To compare open reduction and bone plate fixation with close d reduction and external skeletal fixation as treatment for severely c omminuted fractures of the tibia. Limb alignment, fracture reduction, operating time, hospitalization time, postoperative care, time to unre stricted activity. bone healing. complications. and number of surgical procedures were considered. Design-Retrospective case series. Animals -47 dogs with severely comminuted fractures of the tibia treated with open reduction and bone plate application (22 dogs) or closed reductio n and external fixation (25 dogs). Procedure-Medical records of all do gs included in this study were reviewed. Postoperative and followup ra diographs were evaluated by 2 independent observers. Results-Differenc es were not found in hospitalization time, time to unrestricted activi ty, or time to earliest radiographic evidence of bone healing between dogs with fractures treated with a bone plate and dogs with fractures treated with an external fixator. Fractures treated with an external f ixator had more caudal malalignment, and fractures treated with a bone plate had more valgus malalignment. Malalignments were determined not to be related to clinical problems. Dogs with fractures treated with an external fixator had shorter surgery times and more recheck examina tions. Dogs with fractures treated with a bone plate had more complica tions. Clinical Implications-Open reduction with bone plate fixation a nd closed reduction with external fixation were both effective for tre atment of comminuted tibial fractures. External fixation was associate d with shorter surgery time, but dogs required more extensive postoper ative care. Bone plate fixation was associated with more complications .