Description
Articular fractures occur commonly in dogs and cats. The goals of treatment are to allow a return to pain-free motion and ameliorate the inevitable development of osteoarthritis. Adherence to certain principles is critical to give the patient the greatest opportunity of maintaining a healthy joint. Principles of treatment include obtaining an accurate diagnosis, early treatment, achieving anatomical reduction, providing rigid fixation, restoring the functional axis of the limb and appropriate use of postoperative physical rehabilitation. Deviation from these principles will likely lead to a poor outcome characterised by post-traumatic osteoarthritis, joint fibrosis, muscle atrophy and chronic pain. If the fracture is irreparable, or severe complications develop, excision arthroplasty, arthrodesis or total joint replacement may be necessary.
During this webinar we will explore the principles of articular fracture management and the evidence base underlying them. We will provide guidance for the application of these principles in commonly encountered articular fractures. Particular emphasis will be placed on how imaging techniques can be adapted to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is obtained hereby allowing early and appropriate treatment of the fracture. In addition to discussion of traditional open approaches for fracture stabilisation, the emerging role of minimally invasive osteosynthesis, arthroscopic-assisted approaches and percutaneous techniques in the treatment of articular fractures will be discussed. The importance of appropriate postoperative care and physical rehabilitation will be examined and some practical guidelines on how to optimise this will be provided.
Finally we will discuss the prognosis following articular fractures and explore the reasons behind the high morbidity associated with articular fracture treatment, even when the principles of articular fracture management are rigidly adhered to.