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External Skeletal Fixation (external + skeletal_fixation)
Selected AbstractsExternal skeletal fixation in the management of equine mandibular fractures: 16 cases (1988,1998)EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001K. A. BELSITO Summary Fifty-three cases of equine mandibular fractures were managed surgically from 1988,1998, of which 16 (30%) were repaired by external skeletal fixation (ESF). Three surgical methods were utilised: transmandibular 4.76 or 6.35 mm Steinmann pins incorporated into fibreglass casting material or nonsterile dental acrylic (methyl methacrylate - MMA) bars reinforced with steel; transmandibular 9.6 mm self-tapping threaded pins ± 4.76 or 6.35 mm Steinmann pins incorporated into MMA bars reinforced with steel; and 4.5 mm or 5.5 mm ASIF cortical bone screws incorporated into MMA bars reinforced with steel or a ventral MMA splint. Fourteen horses were presented to the hospital for fixator removal at an average of 56.2 days. At removal, fractures were stable and occlusion of incisor and cheek teeth was considered adequate. Complications of the procedure occurred in 3 horses. Two horses with persistent drainage and ring sequestra from pin tracts required curettage 4 or 5 months after ESF removal. A third horse required replacement of the original fibreglass ESF with MMA bars to regain access to open, infected wounds. Another horse required removal of the second premolar at the time of fixator removal because the tooth root had been damaged in the original injury. ESF for the surgical management of mandibular fractures in horses has produced good results, with incisive and cheek tooth alignment reestablished in all horses. Horses that were managed via ESF had a rapid return to full feed and did not require any supplementation via nasogastric tube or oesophagostomy to maintain bodyweight or hydration status. [source] Proximal interphalangeal joint instability in the dogJOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 9 2003M. J. Guilliard A prospective study into the use of transarticular external skeletal fixation in the treatment of proximal interphalangeal instability was undertaken. Only dogs with soft tissue injuries were included. All the dogs except one were greyhounds or related breeds. A hypothesis was proposed that if the articular surfaces were held in normal congruency for a period of time then the development of periarticular fibrosis would alone give sufficient joint support. Joint congruency was maintained by the application of a unilateral external skeletal fixator for approximately three weeks. Complications were common and were due to frame impingement on the neighbouring digit, pin tract infection and pin loosening, and all resolved following frame removal and antibiotic therapy. Careful pinplacement and prophylactic antibiotic treatment prevented complications in subsequent cases. All dogs returned to normal function with no lameness, with the exception of one racing greyhound which had a recurrence of the instability. [source] Recent advances in external skeletal fixationJOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2001D. D. Lewis While the use of external skeletal fixation was once associated with substantial postoperative morbidity, clinical and experimental studies have led to technological advances and modifications in application techniques that have greatly improved the results obtained with this treatment modality. The past decade saw numerous advances in external skeletal fixator implants, components and instrumentation, including improvements in fixation pin design, and the development of new linear external skeletal fixation systems and economical circular external skeletal fixation systems specifically engineered for use in dogs and cats. In addition, a greater understanding of fixator biomechanics and the pathobiology of the bone-fixation pin interface have improved fixator application practices. This article reviews many of the more significant recent advances in external skeletal fixation. [source] | ||||||||||