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"Sonny" O Connor, a 9 month old kitten, was referred
to me from another veterinary practice. These circumstances
usually mean that the patient is in trouble and generally
reflects a serious orthopaedic injury.
I think that anyone viewing his radiographs will appreciate
that "Sonny" had clearly come off worst with his
confontation with a car!
There was a time when the surgical fashion of the day was
to attempt to "secure" all the bone fragments
together with various different types of stainless steel
implants in an effort to repair the damaged leg. This type
of surgery is fraught with difficulties given the size of
the fragments involved and the potential damage caused to
the soft tissue mechanisms which ultimately repair the broken
bones.
Instead a technique originally pioneered by a Russian doctor
(Ilizarov) aimed simply to harness the body's own powers
of healing with the minimum of interference. This involves
placing stainless steel pins on either side of the injury
which are then connected on the outside of the leg with
a steel rod (fixator). This surgical procedure then allows
the patient to carry on the process of repair and reconstruction
with minimal interference.
As you can see from the radiograph, only 8 weeks later,
"Sonny" has done an excellent job.............
although I am happy to take the credit!
Over the coming months the bone will continue to remodel
until it will become very difficult to identify where the
original injury occurred. The capacity of the body to recover
spontaneously especially in young cats is a remarkable process.
The expertise is often trying to assist that process rather
than interfering or assuming that you can do a better job!
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