Dr. E.L.CHANDRASEKHARBELDHARI ABHISHEK2023-11-022023-11-022022-03-31BELDHARI ABHISHEKhttps://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810200218The present clinical study was conducted on seven dogs presented with tibia fractures to Department of Surgery and Radiology at College of Veterinary Science Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The age of the seven dogs ranged from 9-42 months. Out of these seven dogs, six were male and one was female. Among the seven dogs, one dog was a Labrador retriever, one was a German shepherd, one was a Great dane, one was a Mongrel, one was a Doberman and two were Golden retriever. The body weight of the dogs ranged from 12 to 40 kg. The seven cases of tibia fractures were diagnosed by clinical signs, orthopaedic examination and survey radiography. The clinical signs observed in the dogs presented for treatment were lameness immediately after traumatic injury, pain on manipulation, abnormal angulation, swelling, non-weight bearing, dangling of the limb and crepitation at the fracture site. Pre-operative radiographic examination in two orthogonal views, i.e., medio-lateral and cranio-caudal radiographs revealed proximal diaphyseal fracture in two dogs, mid diaphyseal fractures in four dogs and distal diaphyseal fractures in one dog. Pre-operative radiographs also showed the type of fractures as transverse fracture in three dogs, oblique fracture in two dogs, communited fracture in one dog and spiral fracture in one dog. All the seven dogs in the study had closed fractures. These fractures were stabilized with 5.0mm, 6.0mm, 7.0mm and 8.0 mm intramedullary interlocking nails resulted in good fracture fixation and immobilization. The length of the bone and diameter of the medullary cavity at the isthmus region, as measured from the medio-lateral radiographs, were used to determine the length and thickness of the nail to be used respectively. The screw lengths were determined by measuring the transcortical diameter of the bone at different regions from the cranio-caudal radiographs obtained pre-operatively. Cranio-medial parapatellar approach used provided good exposure of the fracture site and enabled good fracture fixation in dogs with tibia fracture to perform intramedullary interlocking nail. Immediate post-operative radiographic evaluation confirmed proper placement of the nail and screws, apposition and alignment of the fracture fragments in all the seven dogs. Immobilization was considered satisfactory in all the cases. The nail length, diameter and position were appropriate in all cases. Screw length, size and position were considered appropriate in all cases. Follow-up radiographs taken on 15th, 30th, 60th and 90th post-operative days revealed secondary bone healing with periosteal callus formation. Good implant stability throughout the period of study without any complications could be achieved in six dogs. In one dog, nail bending was observed above the fracture site by 15th post-operative day due to overuse of stabilized fractured limb and hyperactivity and heavyweight of the dog. All the dogs which were diagnosed for tibia fractures showed grade V lameness before surgical treatment. Post-operatively, four dogs progressed to grade I lameness by 30th post-operative day, two dogs progressed to grade I lameness by 60th post-operative day and one dogs progressed to grade II lameness by the end of 60th post- operative day. The haemato-biochemical parameters were of little value in assessing the fracture healing. Based on present study, it was concluded that intramedullary interlocking nail (IILN) was successful in the treatment of tibial fractures and offered remarkable improvement and good recompense in limb function in six out of seven dogs. The application of interlocking nail was found to be effective with features like being light in weight and it is advantageous because it provides resistance against axial, torsional and bending forces. The implant used in this technique is economical, making it amenable to use in veterinary practice. In the opinion of the author, intramedullary interlocking nail has potential for application for repair of tibia fracture in dogs weighing less than 40kg.EnglishThesis