Boo is a 16-week-old kitten who had an unlucky fall whilst playing with his housemate at home and presented with an unusual elbow fracture involving the distal humeral physis. His fracture was repaired with tiny 0.6mm arthrodesis wires during a very delicate surgery to allow continued growth at the physis. Early stabilisation and perfect anatomical reduction was very important to allow a good functional outcome for this fracture. We are pleased to report that following 4 weeks of crate rest Boo has made an excellent recovery.
Physeal, or Salter Harris fractures are fractures that occur in skeletally immature patients and involve the growth plates or physes. These fractures can occur with minimal or no trauma, and patients can present following vigorous play, jumping or running. There are several different configurations of Salter Harris fractures. One of the most common that we see is a tibial crest avulsion fracture in young, well-muscled breeds such as French Bulldogs and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
Neutral mediolateral radiograph
Flexed mediolateral radiograph
Post operative mediolateral radiograph
Post operative craniocaudal radiograph