title: Transplantation of the canine distal ulna as a free vascularized bone graft.
abstract: An autogenous free vascular bone graft of the canine distal ulna was evaluated. The vascularity of the graft was based on a musculoperiosteal sheath supplied solely by the caudal interosseous artery and vein. Four autogenous heterotopic (ulna to tibia) vascular transfers were performed. Two avascular transfers were performed to provide baseline criteria from which the success of vascularized transfers could be assessed. Clinical lameness evaluation, serial radiographs, bone scintigraphy, and sequential fluorochrome bone labeling were performed after surgery in both vascular and avascular transfers. All dogs were free of lameness in the donor limb by the 26th postoperative day. Serial radiographs revealed rapid graft incorporation and hypertrophy in all vascularized grafts and severe bone resorption in nonvascularized grafts. Histology, microangiography, and evaluation of fluorochrome bone labels were performed 90 days after surgery to determine graft viability, incorporation and temporal remodeling patterns. Microangiography and fluorochrome assessment complemented the histological findings. Based on these findings the distal ulnar bone graft was determined to be both viable and structurally adequate for selected cases of long bone reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology, Radiology and Surgery, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Szentimrey
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D001863:Bone Screws / Q000662:veterinary; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs / Q000601:surgery*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011897:Random Allocation; D013977:Tibia / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic / Q000662:veterinary; D014457:Ulna / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes