34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

To compare the postoperative complication rates & outcomes of client-owned dogs treated surgically for humeral intracondylar fissures (HIFs) and/or humeral condylar fractures (HCFs) either as unilateral or bilateral concurrent procedures.

Methods:

Hospital records from a single referral center in the United Kingdom were reviewed retrospectively. Dogs were divided into two groups, unilateral surgery (Group A) and bilateral concurrent surgery (Group B). Clinical follow-up and a client evaluation scheme were used to identify complications and assess functional outcome.

Results:

Medical records of 76 skeletally mature dogs met the inclusion criteria, with 49 dogs in Group A and 27 in Group B. The complication rate was 36.8% overall, with complication rates of 28.6% in Group A and 51.9% in Group B. All complications in Group B occurred in the presenting limb. When minor complications were excluded, further intervention was required in 20% and 40% of dogs in Groups A and B, respectively. Ninety percent of major complications in Group B were surgical, while 83% in Group A were medical. In total, surgical reintervention was required in 10.2% of dogs in Group A and 37.0% in Group B. The surgical site infection rate was 2.5 times higher in bilateral cases. Concurrent elbow arthroscopy was associated with double the complication rate.

Conclusions:

Delaying intervention on the prophylactic limb until the onset of clinical signs should be considered. The final outcomes were comparable between the two groups and reported as good to excellent in 86.8% of cases.