Surgical management of a traumatic dislocation of the sternum in an English bulldog.
A nine-year-old English bulldog presented with an acute history of dyspnoea, tachycardia and discomfort localising to the ventral thorax following a fall down the stairs that morning. After the dog was stabilised, thoracic radiographs revealed a luxation of the third and fourth sternebrae with dorsal displacement of the caudal segment. The sternum was reduced and stabilised with a contoured 12-hole 3 · 5-mm dynamic compression plate applied to the ventral surface of the sternum. The dog's initial recovery was rapid, cardiorespiratory parameters returning to normal in the first 24 hours. For 2 weeks postoperatively the dog exhibited difficulty in rising from a prone position. After this time there was a full recovery. Clinical examination at 8 months postoperatively did not reveal any abnormalities. Telephone follow-up was performed at 18 months and no complications or cardiorespiratory compromise were reported. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a traumatic dislocation of the sternum and its management in the dog.
Department of Applied and Technological Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Experimental Sciences, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.|Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, SumagrupoVeterinario, Valencia, Spain.
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Serra
Department of Applied and Technological Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Experimental Sciences, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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Soler
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, SumagrupoVeterinario, Valencia, Spain.
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Moratalla
Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists, Hampshire, BH24 3JW.
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Sifre
Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Moncada, Spain.
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Redondo
D000818:Animals; D001860:Bone Plates / Q000662:veterinary*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000662:veterinary; D013249:Sternum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery