Treatment of Bengal cat’s complicated supracondylar open fracture

A 2-year-old Bengal cat suffered a complicated open fracture (class II). The fracture was in the lower part of brachium (supracondylar fracture) with moderate skin damages and needed a surgery.

The fracture fragments were attached with 2 locking plates to stabilize the defect area. In addition, Adaptos^®Vet bone graft substitute was implanted into the inward edge and into the immediate proximity of fracture line, to support the ossification of the defect.

Follow-ups after surgery

Two weeks after the surgery, the cat returned for stitch removal and x-rays. He had a clear limp in the leg and the movements of the elbow were limited. Physiotherapy was started. Seven weeks after the surgery, the cat had a slight limp, but he used the leg. The elbow’s movements had improved, and x-ray showed that the defect was ossifying. After 14 weeks, the cat was walking normally, and the movements of the elbow were only slightly limited. X-ray demonstrated the strongest ossification in the inward edge of the defect, where Adaptos^®Vet was implanted. Finally, after 22 weeks, the plate and screws on the inward edge were removed and the leg’s movements were observed well. The plate on the outer edge was left intact.

Adaptos^®Vet to support bone healing

Even though bone tissue has an innate ability to regenerate after an injury, there are situations where the bone’s regenerative capacity is not sufficient to heal the defect. Examples of these kind of bone defects are critical sized defects, complicated fractures, or severely injured surrounding tissue. In these cases, the bone defects need a bone graft to support the healing and regeneration. Autologous bone harvesting from the small bones of cats in a sufficient amount is challenging. Therefore, a synthetic bone graft substitute that has the capacity to support bone regeneration may offer a viable alternative to support the treatment of a more severe fracture.