Total knee replacement in a dog with an articular epiphyseal medial condylar fracture of the distal femur, a case report.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe outcome in a dog with a failed atypical articular medial femoral condyle fracture salvaged with total knee replacement. We present a retrospective case study of a 2-year-old male neutered Whippet dog. An articular medial condylar fracture was repaired primarily with extraarticular positional cortical screws. Construct failure was diagnosed 16 days after surgery when the dog was represented with lameness and radiographs confirmed fragment displacement. Total knee replacement was used for surgical salvage. Long-term follow up with the owner and patient reveal satisfactory outcomes with no clinically important implant-related morbidity. In contrast to typical fractures of the medial femoral condyle that involve both epiphyseal and metaphyseal bone, stable fixation of atypical fractures of the articular weight-bearing epiphyseal region of the condyle distal to the fabella is difficult to achieve. Total knee replacement is a suitable treatment option for failed articular medial femoral condylar fracture in dogs.