title: The use of a stifle flexion device to manage avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in a cat.
abstract: This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of a traumatic avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in a three-and-a-half-year-old male neutered Domestic Shorthaired cat. Surgical repair was achieved using a modified three-loop pulley suture pattern passed through a suture anchor inserted at the point of origin of the tendon and around the fabella. A stifle flexion device was utilised during the postoperative period to protect the repair. Follow-up at five months showed a return to normal function. This is the first report of avulsion of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius in a cat.
authors.affiliation: Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, The Granary, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire, United Kingdom. andrea@andersonmoores.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pratesi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grierson
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Moores
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002415:Cats / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*