Utilização de fixador esquelético externo híbrido em fratura metafisária distal em tíbia de gato: relato de caso

Abstract

Long bone fractures are commonly diagnosed in companion animals, being caused by several types, such as car accidents, falls, pedestrians and ballistic projectiles. Open fractures are characterized by communication between the fracture and the external environment, causing damage to adjacent structures in addition to bone. This type of fracture has a high rate in cats and dogs, occurring mostly in distal regions of the limbs due to the fact that there is less tissue coverage of the area by soft tissues. For the correction of these fractures, external skeletal fixators can be used in different configurations, such as a linear, circular, hybrid, unilateral, bilateral, uniplanar and multiplanar. In animals with severe and unstable fractures, surgeries should be performed with the implantation of materials and techniques in order to keep the focus of the fracture stable and, consequently, promote satisfactory bone consolidation, leading the individual to a better recovery. This paper reports a case of surgical bone reconstruction through the surgical implantation of a hybrid external skeletal fixator (FEEH) to correct a distal metaphyseal fracture in a feline tibia.