Use of a condylar screw plate for repair of a Salter-Harris type-III fracture of the femur in a 2-year-old horse.

This research describes a case where a condylar screw plate was used to repair a type of femur fracture in a young horse. The results, showing the horse returned to normal function, suggest that this method could be effective for other similar cases.

Case Details

• The research paper documents the treatment of a 2-year-old intact male Paint horse. The horse was brought in due to experiencing non-weight-bearing lameness on its right hind limb for a week when it arrived for examination and treatment.
• A radiography was conducted, revealing that the horse had a specific kind of fracture known as a Salter-Harris type-III fracture on its right femoral condyle. This fracture type is characterised by displacement with a fracture line located in the intercondylar space and the transverse component exiting on the medial aspect of the femur.

Treatment Approach

• For the treatment, surgeons employed a condylar screw plate, a type of surgical implant designed for fixing femoral condylar fractures in humans, for this horse’s femur fracture repair.
• This particular application of a condylar screw plate to fix a Salter-Harris type-III fracture specifically on the medial side of a horse’s femur has not been previously reported.

Post Surgery Follow Up and Implications

• The owner of the horse reported 9 months after the operation that the horse had made a full recovery and was sound, indicating the surgery was successful.
• The success of this case suggests the potential benefit of the application of this particular implant for repairing femoral condylar fractures in some adult horses. However, further study would be needed to establish the frequency of success and rate of potential complications through wider use of the technique.